EllaLink
{{Short description|Optical submarine cable}}
{{Infobox submarine communications cable
| cable_name = EllaLink
| map = Ellalink Cable Map.jpg
| landing_points = *Sines (Portugal)
| built_by = Alcatel Submarine Networks
| technology = DWDM
| design_capacity = 100 Tbit/s (4 fiber pairs)
| length = Approx. 5,900 km between Sines (Portugal) and Fortaleza (Brazil)
| topology = 4 fiber pairs
| first_use_date = 1 June 2021
|website=http://ella.link}}
EllaLink is an optical submarine cable linking the European and South American continents with landing points in Sines in Portugal and Fortaleza in Brazil. It has currently the lowest latency (<60 ms round-trip delay time between Portugal and Brazil) on the market.{{Cite web|url=https://ella.link/who-we-are/|title=EllaLink | Subsea Cable | Our Team}}
For more than 20 years, there were no practical direct data transfer routes between Europe and South America. The only cable linking the two continents was Atlantis-2, which was not used for Internet data transfer due to its limited capacity.{{Cite web|url=https://olhardigital.com.br/en/2019/01/21/news/Brazil-and-Europe-will-be-interconnected-by-new-fiber-optic-submarine-cable/|title=Brazil and Europe will be interconnected by new fiber optic submarine cable|first=Olhar|last=Digital|date=January 21, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
One of the project's main goals was to circumvent the United States and its upstream collection as the route connects Europe directly with South America; this middleman position gave the US National Security Agency the ability to spy on European and South American communications. It was deemed problematic to EllaLink by interested parties.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/high-expectations-for-brazil-undersea-cable-to-europe/|title=High expectations for Brazil undersea cable to Europe}} In that regard, then President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff said in 2014 that EllaLink would be central to "guarantee the neutrality" of the Internet, showing her wish to block Brazilian Internet traffic from being accessed for United States government activities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/24/us-eu-brazil-idUSBREA1N0PL20140224|title=Brazil, Europe plan undersea cable to skirt U.S. spying|access-date=2021-07-06|archive-date=2015-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924193904/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/24/us-eu-brazil-idUSBREA1N0PL20140224|url-status=dead}}
The cable was launched 1 June 2021, providing a direct data route between Portugal and Brazil.{{cite web | last=Cerulus | first=Laurens | title=Portugal looks to rule the waves again (thanks to undersea data) | website=Politico| date=May 1, 2021 | url=https://www.politico.eu/article/portugal-plugs-in-submarine-internet-cable/ | access-date=July 16, 2021}}
Awards
EllaLink has received the following awards:
- 2022: European Broadband Award, Juri Award 2022 - The EllaLink project is a cross border international project offering high-capacity optical platform on a unique transatlantic route.
- 2020: Global Carrier Award in the category "[https://ella.link/2020/10/23/ellalink-won-a-global-carrier-award-for-best-subsea-project-of-the-year-2/ Best Subsea Project of the Year"].{{Cite web|url=https://www.redclara.net/index.php/en/noticiasyeventos/noticias/2193-ellalink-repeats-success-at-global-carrier-award-as-best-subsea-project-of-the-year|title=EllaLink repeats success at Global Carrier Award as Best Subsea Project of the Year|first=Luiz Alberto Rasseli|last=Junior|website=www.redclara.net}}
- 2020: CC-Global Awards 2020: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM30ElgMR-I GCCM SPECIAL AWARD - Best Project of the Year, Subsea Networks].
- 2019: Global Carrier Award in the category "[https://ella.link/2019/10/31/global-carrier-award-for-best-subsea-project-of-the-year/ Subsea Networks - Project of the Year"].
History
{{updated|March 2021}}
EllaLink was formed in 2012. The project began in 2015. In 2017, the supply contract was awarded to Alcatel Submarine Networks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/spanish-and-brazilian-governments-team-up-for-submarine-cable/|title=Spanish and Brazilian governments team up for submarine cable|website=www.datacenterdynamics.com}} The equity provider Marguerite became the sponsor in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marguerite.com/2019/01/marguerite-closes-ellalink-submarine-cable-investment/|title=Marguerite closes EllaLink submarine cable investment | Marguerite}}
Cable manufacture began in 2019;{{Cite web|url=http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/10/24/1935145/0/en/EllaLink-achieves-major-project-milestones-marine-survey-manufacturing-and-operator-licenses.html|title=EllaLink achieves major project milestones: marine survey, manufacturing and operator licenses|date=October 24, 2019|website=GlobeNewswire News Room}} the installation of the cable started in December 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://connect.geant.org/2020/11/18/ellalink-all-aboard|title=EllaLink: all aboard | GÉANT CONNECT Online|date=November 18, 2020|website=GÉANT CONNECT Online | The leading collaboration on e-infrastructure and services for research and education}} Two vessels (Ile de Brehat and Ile de Sein) were used to lay down the cable and its branching units. The installation of the cable was finished on 28 February 2021. The vessel Ile de Sein laid down the last universal cable joint linking together the Brazilian branch left by Ile de Brehat on 1 February 2021 and the European branch.{{Cite web|date=2021-02-18|title=Congratulations to our seafarers onboard cable ship Ile de Sein|url=https://www.lda.fr/en/congratulations-to-our-seafarers-onboard-cable-ship-ile-de-sein/|access-date=2021-05-08|website=Louis Dreyfus Armateurs|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|date=2020-11-18|title=EllaLink: all aboard {{!}} GÉANT CONNECT Online|url=https://connect.geant.org/2020/11/18/ellalink-all-aboard|access-date=2021-05-08|website=GÉANT CONNECT Online {{!}} The leading collaboration on e-infrastructure and services for research and education}}
References
External links
- [http://ella.link EllaLink Website]
- [http://www.submarinecablemap.com/ Submarine Cable Map]
{{Transatlantic telecommunications cables}}
{{Submarine communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean}}
Category:Transatlantic communications cables
Category:Submarine communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean
Category:Submarine communications cables in the North Atlantic Ocean
Category:Submarine communications cables in the South Atlantic Ocean
Category:Internet in South America
Category:2021 establishments in Portugal