Pencan-9

Overview

Pencan-9 is a domestic submarine cable system connecting two landing points within Spain. With a total length of 1,398 km, it serves the corridor between the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands, linking the Iberian coast to the archipelago. The cable is owned and operated by Telefónica, one of Spain's largest telecommunications operators.

Route and Landings

Both landing points are located within Spain. The cable connects Chipiona, on the Atlantic coast of mainland Spain, to Tarahales, in the Canary Islands. These two termination points define the full extent of the system's route across the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Ownership and Operators

Pencan-9 is wholly owned by Telefónica, the Spanish multinational telecommunications company. Telefónica is the infrastructure and services arm behind several submarine cable investments connecting Spain's mainland territories and overseas regions.

Status and Timeline

Pencan-9 entered service in 2016 and has been operational for approximately ten years. It currently remains in service, providing connectivity along its domestic route.

Regional Context

Spain has an extensive submarine cable presence, with 25 systems landing across 41 points along its coastline. At 1,398 km, Pencan-9 is longer than 63% of the other submarine cables landing in Spain, which have an average length of around 3,550 km — reflecting how shorter domestic routes compare favourably in relative length against larger international systems in the same corridor.

Regional peers in this corridor include considerably longer international systems such as 2Africa (45,000 km, RFS 2024), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) at 17,000 km, and Grace Hopper (7,191 km, RFS 2022). Pencan-9's much shorter length reflects its purpose as a domestic link rather than an intercontinental connection, distinguishing it from these broader systems while sharing the same Spanish coastal landing infrastructure.

Strategic Role

Pencan-9 provides direct submarine connectivity between the Spanish mainland at Chipiona and the Canary Islands at Tarahales. As a domestically routed cable entirely within Spanish territory, it supports telecommunications continuity between the mainland and the geographically separated Canary Islands, a route that cannot be served by overland infrastructure. Telefónica's ownership of the system reflects the operator's long-standing role in managing connectivity across Spain's dispersed territories.