Connecting El Salvador to the World

Hundreds of thousands of kilometres of fibre optic submarine cables crisscross the planet, facilitating near-instant connectivity between continents, businesses and individuals. El Salvador is the only country in Latin America with a coastline but no submarine cable landing point. As a result, it has the lowest internet traffic in the region, relying solely on terrestrial routes for international traffic, which pushes up costs. 

Objectives

The Government of El Salvador is deploying its first submarine cable to boost digital connectivity, drive economic growth and widen access to digital tools for citizens and the public sector. This will reduce international connectivity costs, increase bandwidth and promote public-private partnerships to accelerate the country's digital transformation. 

The project supports the EU's Global Gateway connectivity strategy, helping El Salvador bridge the digital divide and connect more fully to the global digital ecosystem. It also aligns with the objectives of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, particularly on trusted, secure, resilient, affordable, high-speed connectivity — the foundations of a thriving digital economy. It is also complemented by the EU's BELLA programme, which connects the research and education communities across Latin America and Europe. 

Project activities

The project has two main components: 

• Building the infrastructure: this includes a landing station, secure submarine cables and an interconnection system between ground stations and the submarine cables, as well as purchasing high-end equipment for datareception and power generation.
• Strengthening the institutions: building the capacity of SIGET, the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications of El Salvador, through training programmes, consultancy services and technological and software upgrades. 

(Expected) Results

The project will enhance national broadband capacity and reliability by building submarine cable infrastructure and strengthening legal, administrative and operational capabilities. This reduces dependency on terrestrial links and improves the technical, policy and regulatory framework for telecommunications, with benefits for economic growth, innovation, social inclusion, education, healthcare and the digital economy. 

The project also includes a gender-sensitive assessment to ensure equitable access to the benefits of improved connectivity. It promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities by promoting accessibility standards in public digital services. 

Implementing partners

CAF, Government of El Salvador