Space Norway has partnered with SubCom to develop the Arctic Way subsea cable system.
The 2,350km cable will be located within the Arctic Circle, connecting Bodø and Jan Mayen in mainland Norway to Longyearbyen on the Norwegian island of Svalbard.
The capacity of the cable is not yet known. Arctic Way is expected to commence service in 2028.
Morten Tengs, CEO of Space Norway, said the cable system is “imperative to ensure uninterrupted connectivity for the Arctic community and to support Norway’s strategic interests.”
SubCom is the primary contractor for the cable and in charge of survey, design, manufacturing, and installation.
CEO of SubCom David Coughlan added: “SubCom has maintained a successful relationship with Space Norway for decades, including our participation in the supply of the original Svalbard cable system.
“Our experience with the customer and our expertise in the region - one of the most unique marine environments on the planet - will enable SubCom to efficiently produce and deploy this critical subsea cable infrastructure on behalf of Space Norway.”
There are currently two existing subsea cables to Svalbard. Whilst they are approaching the end of their lifespan, they will not yet be retired and will serve as a backup for the incoming cable.
This comes shortly after GlobalConnect joined the Polar Connect consortium earlier this year to build a subsea Internet cable connecting the North Pole to Europe and Asia.
Issue 55 - Poles Apart
Building a submarine cable through the North Pole
Space Norway is a public limited company owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (NFD). The company manages space infrastructure for the country, providing services to wholesale customers.
The company also owns subsea infrastructure and provides broadband to the Troll research station in Antarctica via Telenor’s Thor 7 satellite.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Chile’s Undersecretariat of Telecommunications is planning to build a subsea cable between Antarctica and Chile.
Check out issue 55 of DCD Magazine for a detailed feature on Polar Connect and the challenges of building subsea infrastructure in the Arctic.
