The IRIS subsea cable will provide connectivity between Iceland and Ireland before interconnecting with FND’s new Arctic cable spans between Japan and Ireland.
Specifically, the two will develop a connectivity exchange at their shared landing site in Galway, Ireland. Through the exchange point customers will be able to buy direct connectivity between Japan and Iceland.
“We are very excited about the development of the new Arctic fibre cable that will bring the continents of Asia, Northern America and Europe closer together," said Thorvardur Sveinsson, CEO of Farice.
"The landing of the cable in Galway next to our IRIS cable will drive the development of a new submarine network exchange, connecting Iceland to Asia, North America and Northern Scandinavia.”
Once completed, the FND fibre route will be the first Arctic route connecting Asia with Europe through the Northwest Passage - the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean.
Due for completion by the end of 2026, the FND fibre route follows an great circle marine route, which greatly reduces the optical distance between Asia and Europe, thereby minimising latency.
“Farice is a terrific partner, and Iceland has the renewable resources to make the Internet greener. Our combined system offers faster and more secure connectivity for the world and the North. It is critical infrastructure in the information age,” said Guy Houser, chief technical officer at FND.
At the same time, the IRIS project has been in development since 2019 and due to become ready for service early in 2023.
In related news earlier this year, Finland's Cinia and Japan's ARTERIA Networks (ARTERIA) formed a joint collaboration to build a subsea cable system linking Europe and Asia through the Arctic.
