Some two years after it was originally announced, construction is beginning on a new submarine cable connecting Wales with Ireland – the first subsea cable to land in Ireland since 2000 (see "New subsea cable will double capacity between UK and Ireland").
Sea Fibre Networks, owner and operator of the new submarine cable, says that the 450-ft cable laying vessel Cable Innovator has arrived in Dublin, Ireland, ready to start work.
CeltixConnect will take the shortest route across the Irish Sea between Anglesey in North Wales and Dublin in Ireland. As the shortest route, the cable will support growth of the latency-sensitive digital services industry, addressing many of the issues that have been facing foreign direct investment and financial organizations, as well as providing the infrastructure to drive Ireland and the Welsh smart economy.
Diane Hodnett, CEO, Sea Fibre Networks, said, "CeltixConnect delivers connectivity that is a game changer not only for business and industry but for everyday life on the net. Smartphones, Facebook, online gaming, and cloud-based services -- all of which didn't exist 10 years ago when the last cables were laid into and out of Ireland and the UK."
The news was welcomed by ministers. "Ireland's continued success in attracting digital services foreign direct investment is dependent on its ability to deliver on the fundamentals of high-capacity communications infrastructure - the most critical of which is a modern subsea cable capable of transporting content and data in and out of the country securely and at the highest speeds," said Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD.
Welsh Assembly Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, Edwina Hart described the European subsea cable connection as great news for North Wales, stating, "This investment in such critically important infrastructure can only bring benefits to businesses in the region providing access to international network connectivity. It is welcomed by the Welsh Government and will help make businesses more competitive while such connectivity is always an attraction for inward investment projects."