At the recent Submarine Networks EMEA conference held in London, IOEMA Fibre announced its plans to develop a new high-capacity submarine cable that will connect the UK with Norway, passing through the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.
This ambitious project includes the installation of a 1,400-kilometer repeater cable, with 48 pairs of optical fiber. Each fiber pair will offer a transmission capacity of 27 to 29 Tbps, reaching a total capacity of 1.3 Pbps.
Details of the Project
In the UK, Colt will be the partner responsible for landing the cable, which will be located at a Cable Landing Station (CLS) in Dumpton Gap, in southeast England. This location has previously been used for the Tangerine and Pan-European Crossing cables.
In the Netherlands, IOEMA will partner with Eurofiber and QTS. The cable will land at a CLS that previously housed the VSNL/TGN Northern Europe cable, and will terminate at the QTS data center in Eemshaven. In Denmark, the fiber company will collaborate with Arelion, using a landing station in Blaabjerg, which was previously home to the TAT-14 cable system. In Germany, IOEMA will work with EWE to establish a new CLS in Wilhelmshaven, on the north coast.
The cable will end its journey in Norway, at a new landing station on Bulk’s campus in Kristiansand, connecting to Bulk’s fiber systems in the country.
Planning and Next Steps
Eckhard Bruckschen, CTO of IOEMA Fibre Ltd, explained that the project has been in the planning phase since 2019. The company aims to close financing this year and begin construction in 2026, with the goal of having the cable operational by the end of 2027.
Bruckschen also noted that they are seeking an anchor customer for the cable, which is presented as a high-capacity solution to replace various older cables in the region, such as SeaMeWe-3, TAT-14, and CANTAT-3, which have been decommissioned or are nearing the end of their lifespans.
Although little is known about IOEMA Fibre Ltd, Bruckschen is also the director of Undersea Cable Consultancy Limited and MD of SubCableNews, bringing experience and credibility to the project.
This new submarine cable not only promises to significantly improve connectivity between the UK and Norway but also strengthens the digital infrastructures of Northern Europe, offering a modern, high-capacity solution to meet the growing demand for data transmission in the region.
Source: Data Centers Dynamics.