Far North Fiber begins cable route study

The submarine network effort aims to leverage an Arctic route to connect Europe and Asia via North America.

April 11, 2023

2 min read

The Far North Fiber submarine cable system will leverage an Arctic route to connect Europe, Asia, and North America.

Far North Fiber Inc., a joint venture that comprises Cinia Oy (Finland), Far North Digital (USA), and ARTERIA Networks Corp. (Japan), says that it has launched the cable route study for the Far North Fiber pan-Arctic submarine cable system. The submarine network effort aims to leverage an Arctic route to connect Europe and Asia via North America.

The route study will occur in cooperation with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the contractor for the submarine network project. The project has received funding from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital).

The approximately 15,000-km Far North Fiber submarine cable will run from Japan, via the Northwest Passage, to Europe with a landing in Alaska (see "Cinia, Far North Digital plan pan-Arctic submarine cable from Japan to Europe via Northwest Passage"). European landings are planned in Norway, adjacent to Finland, and Ireland. The design also features branching units to accommodate future connections in the Pacific, Canadian Arctic, and Atlantic.

The cable route study, along with the marine survey, will help define the best route for the submarine cable system in terms of safety, reliability, cultural and environmental factors, and economics. The consortium expects the cable route study will be completed this year. The results of the CRS will support the upcoming marine survey, which also is scheduled to begin this year. Overall, Far North Fiber Inc. expects its undersea cable will be operational by the end of 2026.

“We are very pleased to see the constantly growing interest in the FNF project from our key stakeholders, such as customers and investors as well as states and communities along the route. The cable route study is a concrete and exciting step forward and it is delightful to see how these steps ahead in the project interest the market,” said Ari-Jussi Knaapila, CEO of Cinia.

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy

Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.