Pan-Arctic cable project resurrected after delay

The project, which was originally announced in 2019 by Finnish data networks and software firm Cinia and the Russian telecommunications company MegaFon, was put on ice in May 2021.

Initially named the Arctic Connect project, Cinia CEO Ari-Jussi Knaapila said it was ‘a real international opportunity’, but key stakeholders had decided to put it on hold for reasons it did not share.

In December 2021, Cinia announced the project, now called the Far North Fiber project, would go ahead as previously planned but with Far North Digital, a Canadian telecommunications infrastructure company.

Telecoms infrastructure operator ARTERIA Networks was announced as partner on February 16 and will serve as the leading Japanese partner to develop and build the cable.

It will be routed via the Northwest Passage from Japan to Europe with landings in Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, Norway, Finland and Ireland.

First pan-Arctic cable system

“Far North Fiber will be the first multicontinental cable system and the first pan-Arctic system,” said Cinia CEO Ari-Jussi Knaapila. “First of its kind very often causes a paradigm shift. Cinia is very pleased to have all three continents represented in the development team.”

“The Far North Fiber project is an epoch-making project to build the last remaining submarine cable route connecting Europe with Japan and Asia at the lowest latency and will greatly contribute to the further development of the digital infrastructure environment in Japanese regions such as Hokkaido,” said Koji Kabumoto, representative director, president and CEO of ARTERIA.

“In addition, the new international network realized by the Far North Fiber will be able to create new demand for connectivity in a wide range of fields such as industry, academia and culture in Europe, Japan, and Asia.”

Cinia said the global economy was increasingly relying on international telecom networks and logistics systems, and new routes with additional capacity would be needed to accommodate them.

With a growing concern for security and sustainability as digital economies develop, the system would ensure it was given due consideration, the companies said.

Further details of the project installation were not released.