The Iberian Peninsula, comprising Spain, Portugal, and their respective islands, is rapidly emerging as a critical hub for global subsea cable activity. With the successful conclusion of the Atlantic Convergence conference in Lisbon (October 2024), the spotlight is on the peninsula’s growing role in digital connectivity as new subsea cable systems come online and expand the region’s influence on global data flows. Connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, the region’s significance is driven by surging demand for high-capacity, low-latency Internet services fueled by advancements in cloud services, AI, and digital transformation.
In this article we explore the latest developments in subsea cable activity across the Iberian Peninsula, with a special focus on the Atlantic CAM / New CAM system, a transformative subsea cable connecting Portugal’s mainland with its autonomous regions.
A Critical Gateway for Global Connectivity
The Iberian Peninsula holds a key geographical position that has made it a natural hub for subsea cable infrastructure. Strategically located at the crossroads of three continents, the region serves as a digital gateway for data traffic between Europe, Africa, and the Americas by linking locations across the North and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and beyond. In recent years, increasing demand for faster, more reliable, and high-capacity Internet connectivity has buoyed regional investments in subsea cable systems, data centers, and cloud infrastructure.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynsey Thomas is a subsea specialist who has been involved in the international subsea business since 1995. She has a keen interest in corporate strategy development, network planning, project management, and solutions marketing. She is experienced as a customer, supplier, consultant director, and trustee. Thomas has held senior posiztions in Cable &Wireless, Apollo SCS, Xtera, and SubSea Networks Ltd. and is a board member for Cirion Technologies. She holds a master’s degree in engineering science from the University of Oxford.
Eckhard Bruckschen is a master mariner and MBA with more than 30 years of experience in the offshore submarine cable industry. This experience includes plough and trenching / ROV operations; remedial works; installations of fiber optic, power, umbilical, and flexible pipes; and burial and bridge operations. Across his career, Bruckschen has managed the construction of over 40,000 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cables and 2,500 kilometers of submarine power cables.
