Lum@link: a new submarine cable to boost connectivity in French Guiana

A European territory located in the South American Amazon, French Guiana faces structural challenges to digital connectivity due to its geographical isolation and dependence on outdated infrastructure. This strategic infrastructure is owned by the French Guiana local authority (CTG), which is supporting this project to link the territory to Europe by November 2026. Business operations will be handled by SPLANG (Société Publique d’Aménagement Numérique de la Guyane), while technical monitoring of the cable will be entrusted to Ellalink, a European company headquartered in Ireland.

Since 2014, CNES and the Guiana Space Centre have been involved in discussions on the development of digital infrastructure, identifying the limitations of existing links, in particular dependence on cables transiting through the United States, performance constraints and the lack of backup connections to Europe. The Lum@link project, jointly funded by CNES and the French Development Agency (AFD), directly addresses these issues by offering shorter, more efficient and more secure access to the European continent, which is essential for the activities of Europe's spaceport.

In addition to the infrastructure already in place, Lum@link will enhance the appeal and competitiveness of the Guiana Space Centre, while also benefiting public, economic and scientific stakeholders in the region more generally. It positions French Guiana as a strategic digital hub between Europe, the Caribbean and South America, serving its development and European integration.
 

More information can be found here.