Almería-Melilla (ALME)

Overview

The Almería-Melilla cable, commonly abbreviated as ALME, is a short domestic submarine cable system connecting two Spanish territories across the western Mediterranean. Both landing points fall within Spain, linking the mainland city of Almería with the autonomous city of Melilla, a Spanish enclave situated on the northern coast of Africa. At 198 kilometres in length, ALME serves a narrow but geographically distinct corridor between continental Spain and Melilla.

Route and Landings

The cable lands at Almería, located on the southeastern coast of mainland Spain. It also lands at Melilla, a Spanish city and autonomous enclave on the African continent, separated from the Spanish mainland by the Alboran Sea. Both landing points are under Spanish jurisdiction, making this an entirely domestic connection despite its cross-Mediterranean character.

Ownership and Operators

Almería-Melilla is owned by Telefónica, the Spanish multinational telecommunications company. Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications operators in Europe and Latin America, with a long-standing presence in both fixed and submarine cable infrastructure.

Status and Timeline

The cable entered service in 1990, making it one of the earlier submarine cable links in the Spanish domestic network. It continues to connect Almería on the mainland with the enclave of Melilla.

Regional Context

The ALME cable operates in a Spanish coastal corridor that has since become home to several much larger international systems. Cables such as 2Africa (45,000 km, RFS 2024), Africa Coast to Europe (17,000 km, RFS 2012), Grace Hopper (7,191 km, RFS 2022), and upcoming systems including Anjana and Medusa all land in Spain, reflecting the country's role as a transit point between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. ALME, by contrast, is a short domestic link of 198 km with a narrowly defined purpose: providing a dedicated submarine connection between metropolitan Spain and the enclave of Melilla.

Strategic Role

By linking the Spanish mainland at Almería directly to the enclave of Melilla on the African coast, ALME provides a dedicated undersea communications path between two parts of Spanish territory that share no land border. This connection supports telecommunications continuity for Melilla, which is physically separated from the Iberian Peninsula and relies on submarine infrastructure for part of its connectivity with the mainland.