Shrinking Arctic ice redraws the map for internet cable connections: Politico

By Andrew Blackman - April 3, 2024
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A cargo ship sails through multi-year ice in Canada’s the Northwest Passage.(Timothy Keane / Fednav)

A group of companies is working on a 14,500 kilometer subsea cable designed to reroute data away from vulnerable locations such as the Red Sea, Politco reports.

– The Far North Fiber project aims to establish a direct link between Europe and Japan via the Northwest Passage in the Arctic. It would include landing sites in Japan, Alaska, Canada, Norway, Finland and Ireland.

– Such a project would have been unthinkable until a few years ago because a thick, multiyear layer of ice made navigation impossible. However, the Arctic is warming up at nearly four times the rest of the world, creating new sea routes.

– The European Union is investing about 23 million euros into the project, and Far North Digital co-founder Ethan Berkowitz wants more governments to get involved. “We look for more vocal support from the United States and Canada,” he told Politico.

– The project, led by Arteria, Far North Digital and Cinia, is expected to cost 1 billion euros and will “go live” by 2027, according to the report.

You can read the full story here.