“The BELLA-S project can be considered a success story,” highlights the report published by the European Commission.
“A remarkable step forward, of which the European Commission and each partner can be proud.” This is how the European Commission describes the BELLA-S project – the line of action of the BELLA Program focused on the construction of the EllaLink submarine fiber optic cable, which created a direct link between Europe and Latin America.
The European Commission's evaluation was published at the end of March by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Network Communications, Content and Technology, which published a report with an overall assessment of the project. The document highlights the initiative's very positive impact: "The project achieved exceptional results with significant potential and immediate impact."
Construction of the EllaLink submarine cable began in 2019, with installation beginning in December 2020 and ending on February 28, 2021. The connection between Europe and Latin America runs through Portugal and Brazil, with stations in Sines and Fortaleza. The 6,000-kilometer cable is now operational, following its official inauguration in June 2021.
The European Commission report highlights BELLA-S as a “very ambitious and strategically important” project that achieved its goal of “responding to the long-term high-capacity interconnectivity needs of European and South American education and research networks.”
The European Commission document also provides a set of recommendations for the future, including the creation of new use cases, the launch of a publication on the project's development, and the strengthening of political and institutional relations between Europe and Latin America.
