Space Norway, SubCom Announce Contract-in-Force for Arctic Way Cable System

Space Norway and SubCom announced that a contract is in-force for the survey, design, supply and installation of the Arctic Way Cable System. Providing necessary route diversity to a region with rapidly increasing data traffic demands, the new system will become a critical asset for transmitting data between the Norwegian mainland, Jan Mayen, and the Svalbard archipelago.

SubCom will produce the components for Arctic Way at its manufacturing campus in Newington, NH, USA. The trunk-and-branch, repeatered system will be approximately 2,350 km in length with direct shore end landings in Bodø, Norway, Jan Mayen, andLongyearbyen, Svalbard. Located entirely within the Arctic Circle (between 67-78°N), the system will be the world’s northernmost subsea cable system and will be installed by one of SubCom’s polar-certified, Reliance Class cable ships.

“Establishing the new Arctic Way cable system is imperative to ensure that data connectivity for the Arctic community is effective and uninterrupted for decades to come,” said Morten Tengs, CEO of Space Norway.

“While establishing new subsea cable infrastructure, we will continue to utilize the two existing cables to Svalbard as long as they remain functional, serving as a backup for Arctic Way," said Rune Jensen, Director of Subsea Cable Systems at Space Norway. "Although these cables are approaching the end of their 25-year service lifespan, we expect them to remain operational for several years past 2028.” 

The Arctic Way Cable System is expected to be ready for service by Q2 2028.