The next step of the global Polar Connect project was made on January 9. SUNET, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, and NORDUnet met in Stockholm for a kick-off meeting of the North Pole Fibre project, which is co-funded by the European Commission under the CEF-2 Digital program.
The project is a big leap towards establishing a direct fiber optic connection between the European Union and Asia, bridging the gap in the data transmission network. VR/SUNET, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat and NORDUnet are joining forces and bringing the expertise to guarantee the success of the project.
The North Pole Fibre system is designed for future communication needs between Europe and Asia, ensuring true digital sovereignty on the shortest path. In addition, North Pole Fibre will creating additional value for researchers with SMART technology allowing self-monitoring of performance and recording of environmental data for the area around the submarine cable.
Highlights of the project include:
- Closing the missing link between the EU TEN-T hub in Kiruna (northern Sweden) and the Norwegian border.
- Securing resilience for future landfall of the Polar Connect submarine cable in Norway.
- Works project inside Sweden to create a fiber path from Kiruna to the Norwegian Border as an alternative crossing.
The (geopolitics) of subsea cabling in the Nordics was one of the topics of Datacenter Changemakers Oslo last year:
