The companies Cinia and Far North Digital have entered into a contract to build a fiber optic cable for internet use and data transport that connects Europe and Asia through the Arctic. Alcatel Submarine Networks will be responsible for project design and installation.

The 14,000-kilometer cable will significantly reduce the optical distance between Asia and Europe, thus minimizing the delay in data traffic.

The plan is for the cable to be able to be used by the end of 2025. The costs for producing, laying, and landing the cable are approximately NOK 10.1 billion. Alcatel Submarine Networks (web.asn.com/en/) has been selected as the EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) partner for the project.

The Finnish provider of network, cyber security, and software solutions Cinia (www.cinia.fi/en/) and Far North Digital, a North American company that specializes in the development of telecommunications infrastructure (www.fn-digital.com), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build a subsea fiber optic cable. The planned cable will run from Japan, via the Northwest Passage, to Europe with landings in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. European landings are planned in Troms in Norway, Finland, and Ireland.

“There is a growing demand for new routes for data transport with secure and fast international connection. Far North Fiber, which spans three of the world’s largest internet-adopting continents, will be a truly global investment. “
– Ari-Jussi Knaapila, CEO of Cinia.

In addition, True North Global Networks LP, which in Canada is affiliated with Far North Digital, is committed to engaging with indigenous peoples’ organizations and local governments to develop several cable landings in the Arctic part of Canada. By using locally owned community-based digital networks, a direct connection to the global Internet will establish new services for high-speed broadband communications across the region that have limited Internet capabilities today.

“The new cable will increase the speed and improve the security of telecommunications between the countries of the Arctic. This is a bridge over the digital divide and gives northern societies better opportunities for sustainable self-determination through economic development, improved educational opportunities, and improved access to health services and telemedicine. Furthermore, the cable will be a new platform that gives science a unique ability to research global climate change. ”
– Technical Director Guy Houser of Far North Digital

Japan is the main port for the new cable.

“The Arctic connection between Japan and Northern Europe has long been of interest to Japan and the company Cinia, as the diversity of international connections is crucial for Japan. The Japanese Prime Minister, Kishida, has come up with a plan to build new landing points around the various islands where the cable will run. My long-term plan for Hokkaido to be a natural gateway to the north and east is starting to come true. I am very excited to be a part of the Far North Fiber initiative ”
– Jun Murai, Professor at Keio University and Special Adviser to the Japanese Cabinet.