EU boosts funding for Polar Connect to accelerate Arctic subsea cable development and strengthen Europe’s digital resilience

Polar Connect, an Arctic submarine cable system linking Europe, North America, and East Asia, has been granted €5 million from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Developed with key European partners including GlobalConnect, the project is among the most strategically important digital infrastructure initiatives of the coming decade. The new funding supports work to strengthen Europe’s digital resilience and secure global connectivity.

Scheduled to go live in 2030, Polar Connect will span the Arctic Ocean at depths reaching 4,000 meters, creating a resilient, high-capacity route between three continents.

Why the cable is needed

Reducing geopolitical vulnerability
Today, nearly ~90% of all data traffic between Europe and Asia passes through the Red Sea – a region exposed to geopolitical instability. Earlier this year, multiple subsea cables in the area were damaged, causing significant slowdowns in intercontinental connectivity.

Strengthening resilience and redundancy
Additional independent routes increase Europe’s ability to withstand outages, disruptions, and sabotage affecting critical digital infrastructure.

Fastest data path between continents
Once completed, Polar Connect will form the shortest digital route between Europe, Asia, and North America, reducing latency and improving performance for global data flows.

“This additional funding is an important milestone for Polar Connect. The initiative work tirelessly to future-proof the digital infrastructure – and by enabling a faster, more secure digital link between Europe, Asia, and the US, we are catering to the accelerated global demand for high data capacity and resilient digital infrastructure that empowers our society,” says Pär Jansson, SVP, GlobalConnect Carrier.

Charting a new digital path through the Arctic
Large parts of the central Arctic Ocean remain uncharted. During the summer of 2025, the Swedish icebreaker Oden began mapping the ocean floor to identify the safest and most efficient cable route. As of November 2025, approximately 45% of the route has been mapped. A second expedition is scheduled for 2026.

Deploying the Polar Connect cable will ultimately require a new heavy icebreaker capable of operating in central Arctic conditions, where ice may reach thicknesses of up to four meters. The decision to fund such a vessel is currently being discussed in the Swedish parliament, although no commitment has yet been made.

Next steps: Polar Connect Step 2 (PC2)
The next phase of the initiative, known as Polar Connect Step 2 (PC2), builds on earlier EU co-funded work and will deliver critical inputs for the forthcoming marine survey, manufacturing, and cable-laying stages.

Key PC2 activities include:

• Detailed Cable Route Study for the central Arctic Ocean
• Additional seabed mapping missions and advanced route simulations
• Analysis of Arctic-specific operational challenges
• Development of cable repair and maintenance scenarios in extreme environments
• Assessment of environmental impact and sustainability considerations
• Identification of optimal landing points in Europe, North America, and Asia
• PC2 will provide essential data to cable manufacturers and ensure that the final system design is robust, reliable, and suited to long-term operation in one of the world’s harshest environments.

Partnering for a sustainable digital future
Polar Connect is a collaborative effort between European stakeholders and global partners, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in building secure, sustainable digital infrastructure. PC2 beneficiaries include the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, NORDUnet, GlobalConnect, CSC, and the Swedish Research Council.