Cabo Verde Telecom Domestic Submarine Cable Phase 1

Overview

The Cabo Verde Telecom Domestic Submarine Cable Phase 1 is an intra-archipelago submarine cable system serving Cape Verde. As a domestic cable, it connects multiple islands within the Cape Verde archipelago, providing inter-island submarine connectivity entirely within the country. The system is owned and operated by Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT), the national telecommunications operator of Cape Verde.

Route and Landings

The cable has five landing points, all located within Cape Verde. These are Murdeira, Praia, Sal Rei, Sao Pedro, and Tarrafal de São Nicolau. Together, these landings span several islands of the archipelago, linking communities across the island chain through a single submarine cable system.

Ownership and Operators

Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT) is the sole owner and operator of this cable system. CVT is the principal telecommunications provider in Cape Verde and has been responsible for developing the country's submarine cable infrastructure across multiple phases.

Status and Timeline

The cable entered service in 1997, making it the first submarine cable to land in Cape Verde. As of 2025, it has been in continuous operation for approximately 29 years, representing a long-standing component of the country's inter-island communications infrastructure.

Regional Context

Cape Verde's submarine cable landscape has grown considerably since Phase 1 entered service in 1997. Within the domestic programme, Cabo Verde Telecom followed this system with Cabo Verde Telecom Domestic Submarine Cable Phase 2 (RFS 2002) and Phase 3 (RFS 2011), progressively expanding intra-archipelago connectivity. More recently, international cables such as EllaLink (RFS 2021) and the Senegal Horn of Africa Regional Express (SHARE) Cable (RFS 2023) have brought Cape Verde into broader trans-Atlantic and regional African connectivity corridors. Phase 1 predates all of these systems and stands as the foundation on which subsequent cable development in Cape Verde was built.

Strategic Role

By connecting five island landing points across Cape Verde, this cable enables direct submarine communication between islands that would otherwise rely on satellite or radio links. Its five landings — Murdeira, Praia, Sal Rei, Sao Pedro, and Tarrafal de São Nicolau — distribute connectivity across both more populated and more remote parts of the archipelago. As the earliest submarine cable system in Cape Verde, Phase 1 established the domestic cable model that CVT subsequently extended through two further phases of development.