Ultramar GE

Overview

Ultramar GE is a short regional submarine cable system spanning 263 km in the Gulf of Guinea, connecting Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe. The cable provides a direct link between the island of Annobon, a remote Equatoguinean island territory, and the island of Sao Tome, the main island of Sao Tome and Principe. As a relatively short intra-regional system, it serves a corridor between two island territories in close geographic proximity off the west coast of central Africa.

Route and Landings

In Equatorial Guinea, the cable lands at Annobon, the country's isolated island province situated in the southern Gulf of Guinea.

In Sao Tome and Principe, the cable lands at Sao Tome, the capital island of the archipelago nation.

Ownership and Operators

Ultramar GE is owned by GITGE (Gestor de Infraestructuras de Telecomunicaciones de Guinea Ecuatorial), the telecommunications infrastructure manager of Equatorial Guinea.

Status and Timeline

Ultramar GE entered service in 2023 and has been operational for approximately three years. It is among the more recently deployed submarine cable systems in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Regional Context

The Gulf of Guinea corridor served by Ultramar GE is also connected to international infrastructure through the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable, a much longer system of 17,000 km that reached service in 2012 and lands in both Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe. Within Equatorial Guinea itself, the Ceiba-1 and Ceiba-2 cables, at 287 km and 290 km respectively, have served domestic connectivity needs since 2011 and 2017. Ultramar GE is notably the first cable to directly link Annobon to Sao Tome and Principe, complementing the broader regional infrastructure in this corridor. Sao Tome and Principe has two submarine cables landing at its single landing point, while Equatorial Guinea's cable infrastructure spans three landing points across four systems.

Strategic Role

At 263 km, Ultramar GE provides a direct submarine connection between one of Equatorial Guinea's most geographically isolated territories, Annobon, and the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe. This short but geographically focused link addresses connectivity between two island communities in the Gulf of Guinea that would otherwise rely on longer routing through larger regional systems. The cable reflects ongoing investment in localised submarine infrastructure within this part of the Atlantic island corridor.