Marcos Pontes, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, attended the launch of the high-capacity fiber optic submarine cable between Brazil and Europe in Sains, Portugal. The project was financed by the European Commission, EllaLink and the Brazilian government. The cable connects the city of Fortaleza (Brazil) to Sains (Portugal), via French Guiana, the Madeira Islands, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde eliminating the requirement for data to travel across the United States. 

This project will facilitate high-quality access to telecommunications services and applications with a 50 % reduction in latency. This infrastructure will be leveraged for services, digital businesses, science, technology and education and support collaboration to overcome issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.