Portugal close to laying 20 undersea cables to become digital hub

Portugal is expected to have 20 submarine cables reaching its coast by the end of the year according to a recent study made by the American Chamber of Commerce in Portugal (AmCham Portugal).

Another network of cables systems is set to go live in 2027, reinforcing Portugal’s role as a key gateway for digital traffic into Europe.

Major systems include EllaLink, Equiano, Medusa, 2Africa, Nuvem, New CAM Ring, and Olisipo.

The most recent arrival is Google’s Nuvem, the first submarine cable to establish a direct link between the United States and Portugal.

Following Equiano—which became operational in 2022—the Mountain View-based tech company is already preparing another project, Sol, which will connect Florida to the Spanish city of Santander, with a stopover on the Azorean island of São Miguel.

The growing concentration of connectivity infrastructure also has a significant economic impact.

A study by AmCham Portugal, prepared by PwC, estimates that—in addition to the approximately €200 million invested directly in subsea cable projects—this infrastructure is expected to underpin over €10.3Bn in investments in technology and digital projects.

The multiplier effect extends far beyond telecommunications. Increasing connectivity capacity is driving the development of data centers, cloud services, and artificial intelligence (AI)—areas that rely directly on this infrastructure for growth.

In June, Meo CEO Ana Figueiredo revealed in an interview with ECO that the operator will, “for the first time in 11 years, invest in a new subsea cable connecting Ireland to Lisbon, which will be operated here in the country” by the respective teams.

“Officially, this cable is called PISCES. Unofficially, it is called the ‘Brexit cable’, because it is the first cable allowing Ireland to connect to Europe without going through the United Kingdom,” the executive noted.

Source: AmCham Portugal/PwC/ECO Online