Marrakech – A groundbreaking submarine fiber optic cable undertaking will quickly create an important digital hyperlink between Morocco and Spain’s Canary Islands, positioning the archipelago as a strategic telecommunications hub within the Atlantic.
The initiative, set to start set up in late 2025, represents a significant development in Europe-Africa connectivity.
The undertaking is led by Spanish firm Islalink in partnership with Canalink, an operator linked to the Tenerife Council and the Technological Institute for Renewable Power (ITER), according to Okdiario.
Strengthening Europe-Africa digital connectivity
The deliberate route will begin on the port of Arinaga (Gran Canaria), move by means of Gran Tarajal (Fuerteventura), and attain the Moroccan coast, probably at Tarfaya or Boujdour.
With an estimated price range of €49 million, the undertaking has secured €20 million from the European Funding Financial institution (BEI). The preliminary part has already acquired €7.5 million from European funds for research and design, as noted by Nationwide Geographic España.
Building will span roughly 42 months, with the cable anticipated to be operational by 2028, Okdiario stories. The initiative is a part of the European Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-Digital) program, which goals to enhance digital cohesion, strengthen cybersecurity, and enhance knowledge change capability between continents.
From a technical perspective, this submarine cable is a posh construction composed of ultrathin glass fibers lined with insulation layers, steel safety, and coatings designed to face up to abyssal pressures, ocean currents, and marine life curiosity.
Every fiber carries modulated mild pulses that may assist mixed site visitors of voice, video, monetary knowledge, and scientific functions, in accordance to Nationwide Geographic España.
The cable will develop the Canary Islands’ worldwide connection map, which already consists of programs like ACE (Africa Coast to Europe), WACS (West African Cable System), and 2Africa. This integration strengthens the islands’ place in world telecommunications networks.
A crucial benefit of this new connection is redundancy. In telecommunications, which means if one connection is interrupted by a technical failure or unexpected occasion, the community can reroute site visitors with out affecting customers – important for an island territory just like the Canaries.
The undertaking additionally aligns with broader technological initiatives, together with the Alisios satellite tv for pc constellation, an area management teleport, growth of the ITER supercomputer, and creation of latest expertise areas in Tenerife.
Perplexing media protection in Spain
But it comes as Spanish media shops proceed their intentionally deceptive and politically motivated protection relating to Morocco’s southern provinces.
These publications shamelessly characterize the cable route as “controversial” and falsely declare it enters “disputed waters,” blatantly ignoring Madrid’s personal official place.
The central Spanish authorities, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, formally endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in April 2022 as essentially the most credible, severe, and practical framework to resolve the synthetic regional dispute. The transfer was welcomed by regional governments, together with the Canary Islands underneath President Fernando Clavijo Batlle.
These outdated and biased Spanish media narratives fly within the face of rising worldwide recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty, with main French and American companies having established substantial investments value billions within the area’s infrastructure, renewable power, and phosphate industries.
Such investments could be unimaginable in a genuinely “disputed” territory, exposing the hole nature of those Spanish publications’ claims.
For Morocco and the Canary Islands, this submarine cable guarantees to strengthen knowledge site visitors between West Africa and Europe, enhance web high quality and pace, and promote the institution of information facilities and technological infrastructure within the area, finally creating a brand new digital bridge throughout the Atlantic.
Learn additionally: Nokia to Energy Medusa Submarine Cable Connecting Morocco to Europe