Space Norway and SubCom have a deal to build and deploy the Arctic Way Cable System, a high-capacity subsea network that will connect mainland Norway to two of its territories—Jan Mayen and Svalbard—that are located quite far apart.

A press release said that the 2,350 km trunk-and-branch system will be the world’s northernmost repeatered subsea cable, running entirely within the Arctic Circle between 67°N and 78°N. The system is scheduled to be ready for service by Q2 2028 and will provide critical route diversity for the region’s growing data demands, while ensuring continued connectivity for remote Arctic communities.

SubCom will manufacture the cable and supporting infrastructure at its facility in Newington, New Hampshire, and will handle installation via one of its polar-certified Reliance Class vessels. The system will feature direct landings in Bodø (mainland Norway), Jan Mayen, and Longyearbyen (Svalbard), supplementing and eventually succeeding the existing Svalbard cable system, which is expected to remain in service beyond its original 25-year design life. The Arctic Way project underscores the strategic importance of high-latitude digital infrastructure as data traffic in the Arctic continues to grow.

Space Norway’s goal is to deliver uninterrupted Arctic connectivity as existing cables near end-of-life by 2028+.The system addresses growing regional data demands from commercial, government, and scientific stakeholders.

Arctic Way builds on SubCom’s previous work deploying the original Svalbard cable system, which remains the sole telecommunications link between Svalbard and mainland Norway. That system consists of two separate optical fiber cables, each with eight fiber pairs, running from Harstad to Breivika in Andøy Municipality, and from Breivika to Hotellneset near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The main undersea segments from Breivika to Hotellneset are 1,375 and 1,339 km long, respectively. Each cable includes 20 optical repeaters and is capable of a speed of 10 Gbit/s, with a future upgrade potential of up to 2,500 Gbit/s.

“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.