Internet exchange operator DE-CIX has signed a Letter of Intent with Cabo Verde Telecom (CVTelecom) to explore a new South Atlantic interconnection route linking Lisbon, Portugal, with São Paulo, Brazil.

The proposed corridor would give networks in Europe, West Africa and Latin America a more direct path for exchanging data. Today much of that traffic transits established hubs in Northern Europe and North America. DE-CIX said a direct route could reduce dependence on those chokepoints and make international connections more reliable and efficient.

The division of labour under the planned partnership is clear. CVTelecom would supply the transport capacity needed to connect Lisbon and São Paulo, drawing on its position as the incumbent operator of Cape Verde, the archipelago that sits roughly midway on the South Atlantic crossing. DE-CIX would provide access to its interconnection services across Europe and the Americas.

The exchange is mutual. CVTelecom would gain access to DE-CIX's internet exchange and interconnection services in Frankfurt, Madrid, Marseille, New York and São Paulo. In return, DE-CIX would gain dedicated transport capacity between Lisbon and São Paulo, which it can offer to the thousands of networks already attached to its platforms.

For DE-CIX, the deal extends a strategy of anchoring interconnection ecosystems to new geographies. The operator already runs exchanges across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, including recent builds in Austria and a SmartHub internet exchange in the Middle East set up with operator e&.

For CVTelecom, the partnership reinforces Cape Verde's pitch as a digital gateway between three continents, a role its geographic position naturally supports.

Theresa Bobis, Head of Emerging Wholesale Markets at DE-CIX, framed the deal around resilience. "Digital growth increasingly depends on resilient, diverse, and geographically distributed connectivity," she said.

"Together with Cabo Verde Telecom, we want to create a new interconnection corridor across the South Atlantic that brings digital ecosystems in Europe, Africa, and Latin America closer together. More direct data routes can improve performance, strengthen infrastructure resilience, and open up new opportunities for businesses and network operators across all three regions."

Isa Neves, Chief Marketing Officer at CVTelecom, stressed the national and regional stakes. "Partnering with DE-CIX represents an important step in strengthening Cape Verde's position as a strategic digital gateway between Africa, Europe, and the Americas," she said.

"By combining CVTelecom's international connectivity capabilities with DE-CIX's global interconnection ecosystem, we aim to enhance connectivity, resilience, and access to digital services, creating new value for our customers while contributing to the continued digital development of Cape Verde and the wider West African region."

Both operators are pitching resilience and geographic diversity as the core commercial argument, rather than raw capacity gains. That positioning tracks with broader carrier and hyperscaler demand for routing options that avoid concentration on a small number of Northern Hemisphere interconnection hubs.

The agreement is currently a Letter of Intent, meaning the two companies have committed to exploring the route rather than to building it. Neither party has disclosed capacity figures, cable specifications, landing station details or a construction timeline. The next step is converting the LoI into a definitive commercial agreement covering transport capacity and exchange access.