Polar Connect Step 1

ongoing

Polar Connect (global project) is the initiative to establish a submarine cable on the shortest possible route between Northern Europe and East Asia through the Arctic Ocean, allowing 12 to 24 fibre pairs for ultra-high transmission rates. The future cable will provide an alternative to geopolitically challenging areas like the Red Sea, which currently hosts submarine cables transporting some 90% of the communications between Europe and Asia. This Polar Connect Step 1 (PC1) action supports the implementation of the Polar Connect Global Project. It will provide design studies and exploration works on relevant parts of the seabed of the Arctic Ocean to determine the optimal route for Polar Connect, in preparation for the future marine survey phase. The project will also prepare the tender document for the marine survey, which is expected to start only after 2027, after the construction of a new icebreaker. Building on the results of the CEF-Digital action 21-EU-DIG-Northern Gateways and the ongoing activities of the CEF-Digital action 22-EU-DIG-NPF, the planned studies aim to select the optimal route and strive to align the layout of Polar Connect with another project, Far North Fiber, to support resilience between the projects.