The deal makes for 20-year Indefeasible rights of use (IRU) agreement for 780km of dark fibre on N0r5ke Viking. Capacity has reached out to the N0r5ke Fibre team for more details.
N0r5ke Viking is a 144-fibre-cable, 780km in length connecting the cities of Bergen and Trondheim in Norway.
It will form the only direct link between these locations and completely independent from existing fibre routes created much-needed diversity for the region maximising the availability of cheap hydropower and land.
In November 2019, N0r5ke Fibre completed its on-site survey of all its cable landing sites and determined location for ILA-shelters and available power. They are: Andalsnes, Bergen, Brekstad, Equinor Tjeldbergodden, Florø, Herlandsvika, Hyllestad, Kristiansund, Lefdal, Molde, Sture, Trondheim, Åheim, and Ålesund.
In addition, the system will connect Western Norway’s main business centres, data centres and communication hubs.
The cable will create a useful data-transport link as new international subsea cables are being built to connect Norway directly to the US, UK, Ireland and Denmark with low latency connections to a range of large IXs.
Such systems include: NO-UK, connecting Stavanger, Norway to Newcastle, UK. Skagenfiber, connecting Larvik to Skagen, Denmark, opening for direct fibre-links to the UK and continental Europe.
As well as Bulk’s Havfrue connecting Kristiansand, Norway with Killala in Co Mayo, Ireland and New Jersey, USA. In addition to Celtic Norse, connecting, Øysanden, Norway to Grindavik, Iceland, Killala, Ireland and Caithness, UK.
The project is in the final stages of approval with the Norwegian Coastal Administration, with official confirmation expected in Q3 2020.
Shortly followed by subsequent laying activity during 2020 early 2021, with an estimated RFS date of H1 2021.