The Swedish government (Sveriges regering) and the European Union have designated a new underwater fiber optic project, Polar Connect, as a high-priority strategic initiative. Starting from Kiruna in northern Sweden, the cable will run under the Arctic ice to reach Asia and North America. The project is estimated to cost over 21 billion Swedish kronor (approximately €1.85 billion) and aims to secure critical digital infrastructure while providing a faster data route between continents.
A strategic alternative to the Suez bottleneck
Currently, 99% of intercontinental internet traffic relies on undersea cables. Most routes to Asia pass through the Suez Canal, a geographically narrow and geopolitically sensitive area. By taking the shortest path across the North Pole—a distance of roughly 10,500 kilometers—Polar Connect offers a more resilient alternative.
Minister for Civil Affairs (Civilminister) Erik Slottner emphasized that the project is vital for the security of critical infrastructure. Amid increasing concerns over cable sabotage in European waters, the European Commission has proposed allocating €347 million to strengthen the security of essential maritime connections. “It is not easy to interfere with or sabotage a cable lying so deep under the Arctic ice,” stated Katarina Bjelke, Director General of the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).
Real-time climate monitoring in the high North
Beyond telecommunications, the cable system will serve as a massive scientific instrument. The infrastructure will be equipped with specialized sensors capable of measuring water temperature, salinity, and pressure in real-time. This feature will allow researchers to monitor environmental changes in the Arctic with unprecedented precision, replacing the current method of sporadic yearly measurements.
The project is led by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (Polarforskningssekretariatet), in collaboration with the Nordic research network Nordunet. The private sector is also involved through GlobalConnect, a Nordic telecommunications company that will manage the commercial internet traffic once the system is operational.
Logistics and the need for new icebreakers
The technical execution of the project remains highly complex. The cable will run overland from Kiruna to the Norwegian coast, then underwater via Svalbard and through the Arctic Ocean to landings in Japan, South Korea, Alaska, and Canada.
To build and maintain this infrastructure, the Swedish government must decide on the construction of a powerful new icebreaker. Minister for Schools and Research (Forskningsminister) Lotta Edholm noted that the process is extremely complicated and involves billions of kronor in investment. The government has already allocated 118 million SEK (€10.4 million) in the research bill to support the initial phases. The goal is to have the Polar Connect system fully operational by 2030.
