Subcan Link 1

Overview

Subcan Link 1 is a short intra-Spanish submarine cable system spanning 143 km. Both of its landing points are located within Spain, making it a domestic cable serving a national corridor. The cable is owned and operated by Cable Submarine de Canarias and has been in service since 2002.

Route and Landings

Subcan Link 1 lands at two points within Spain: Las Caletillas and Piedra Santa. Both terminations are on Spanish territory, and the cable connects these two locations across a total route length of 143 km.

Ownership and Operators

Subcan Link 1 is wholly owned by Cable Submarine de Canarias, a Spanish cable operator. As the sole owner, the company is responsible for the management and operation of this domestic link.

Status and Timeline

Subcan Link 1 entered service in 2002 and has remained operational since, accumulating 24 years of service. It connects Las Caletillas and Piedra Santa within Spain and continues to serve its corridor in the present day.

Regional Context

Spain hosts a substantial submarine cable infrastructure, with 25 cables landing across 41 landing points. The average length of cables touching Spain is approximately 3,550 km, and the country's submarine cable history stretches back to 1990. At 143 km, Subcan Link 1 is considerably shorter than most cables sharing this national footprint, ranking longer than only 21% of the other cables present in this corridor.

Among the cables that also land in Spain, Subcan Link 1 occupies a very different scale from long-haul systems such as 2Africa, Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), Grace Hopper, Anjana, Medusa Submarine Cable System, and Sol — all of which span thousands of kilometres and serve intercontinental or broad regional routes. Subcan Link 1, by contrast, is a short domestic system serving a specific intra-Spanish connection.

Strategic Role

By linking Las Caletillas and Piedra Santa entirely within Spanish territory, Subcan Link 1 provides dedicated submarine connectivity between these two Spanish locations. Its domestic character and comparatively short length set it apart from the majority of cables landing in Spain, which tend to serve intercontinental or long-haul regional purposes. The cable represents a focused point-to-point connection within the national submarine cable landscape.