Country profile: Cape Verde

State-owned operator Cabo Verde Telecom put out a tender in December 2024 to replace a fibre link between the islands that make up the country, comprising 750 km of fibre and intending to provide a backbone to develop 5G services in the country – important for ensuring widespread connectivity across the 10 islands in the Cape Verde archipelago. Separately, Starlink started providing services in the country in December 2024.

Generally speaking, Cape Verde’s main connectivity driver is the large number of submarine cables it boasts relative to its size, both domestic and international, and they have helped push average broadband download speeds from 13 to 20 Mbps between 2024 and 2025. Five cable systems serve the island group, including a three-phase domestic system completed in 2011, a connection to the West Africa Cable System, and most recently a direct connection to Senegal via the Senegal Horn of Africa Regional Express (SHARE) Cable and a connection to the EllaLink cable finalised in 2022.

Want to see 16 more country profiles? Download the ITW Guide to West African Connectivity in 2025