DE-CIX and CVTelecom plan new South Atlantic corridor

The new cable will connect Lisbon, Portugal, with São Paulo, Brazil.

The suggested corridor is designed to optimise capacity use in Southern Europe, West Africa, and Latin America by making data transfer between them more direct and efficient. The corridor will reduce reliance on popular hubs in Northern Europe and North America, while also reinforcing resilience in intercontinental connectivity.

DE-CIX and CVTelecom’s partnership will also involve interconnecting both companies’ respective infrastructures, thereby creating a reciprocal service arrangement. The workload has been split between them; CVTelecom will provide transport capacity between Lisbon and São Paulo, and DE-CIX will provide access to its interconnection ecosystems in Europe and the Americas.

“Digital growth increasingly depends on resilient, diverse, and geographically distributed connectivity,” commented Theresa Bobis, head of emerging wholesale markets at DE-CIX.

“More direct data routes can improve performance, strengthen infrastructure resilience, and open up new opportunities for businesses and network operators across all three regions.”

Cape Verde sits between Europe, West Africa, and the Americas, making it a strategic location on critical international connectivity routes. By expanding on this position and CVTelecom’s infrastructure, the partnership can help support development of the South Atlantic’s digital landscape.

This development will have a ripple effect across the industry that will likely be keenly felt. Developing the corridor will support network operators, internet service providers, content and cloud providers, enterprises, and other stakeholders that rely on efficient and reliable intercontinental connectivity.

The LoI is non-binding, as it sets out the framework for cooperation in the first instance. The partners will negotiate planned services ahead of a definitive agreement.

“Partnering with DE-CIX represents an important step in strengthening Cape Verde’s position as a strategic digital gateway between Africa, Europe, and the Americas,” said Isa Neves, CMO of Cabo Verde Telecom.

“By combining CVTelecom’s international connectivity capabilities with DE-CIX’s global interconnection ecosystem, we aim to enhance connectivity, resilience, and access to digital services, creating new value for our customers while contributing to the continued digital development of Cape Verde and the wider West African region”

The news comes as industry leaders continue to invest in Africa’s connectivity potential. As of 2025, mobile technologies contributed S$240 billion to the continent’s economy, and its data centre activity is rapidly advancing. However, this flurry of growth has prompted conversations around connectivity resilience.

The continent is a vibrant tapestry of rich cultures, with each of the 54 countries representing a whole spectrum of diversity. When it comes to telecommunications, these differences mean that the continent is far from a consistent and reliable market.

Power prices vary wildly from country to country, and a lot of the infrastructure is outdated. Power cuts and shortages are frequent, and access to utilities is unreliable for many. The climate of the continent also poses challenges to various cooling methods, due to the heat and its proclivity for droughts.

This can make the continent a challenge for establishing data centres and communications infrastructure.

To that end, investing in interconnection corridors like the one planned by DE-CIX and CVTelecom has wide-reaching benefits. Companies and organisations will benefit from greater capacity and enhanced efficiency, and the individuals who rely on connectivity will benefit from more consistent and reliable access to services.

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