Cinia, majority-owned by the Finnish state, is part of an international consortium that plans an Arctic submarine cable that would connect the telecommunications networks of Europe, North America and Asia.
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Together with its international partners, Cinia has founded a development company to promote the project. The project goes by the name "Far North Fiber" and, if realized, it would be the first cable system passing through the Arctic region, connecting several continents.
When implemented, the new submarine cable system is estimated to be ready for use at the end of 2026.
The EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met on December 5, 2022. The joint statement published by the Trade and Technology Council emphasizes support for undersea telecommunications cable projects and their strategic importance.
"I consider the TTC's statement excellent for the Cinia project, and for Finland. Telecommunication connections will have an even greater economic and political importance as digitalization progresses," says Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka.
"Transatlantic cooperation is important for Finland and the EU, both in terms of trade and geopolitics. Cinia's project connects Europe, North America and democratic Asia in an exemplary way in this politically unstable time," says Minister Harakka.
According to a joint statement published by the Trade and Technology Council, it wants to strengthen the resilience of critical telecommunications infrastructure and sees undersea telecommunications cables as strategically important.
Discussions between the EU and the US on new secure digital infrastructure projects continue within the framework of the TTC. These projects also include data cable connections connecting Europe, North America and Asia. The next meeting of the TTC will be hosted by the EU in mid-2023.
On December 8, 2022, the Council of the EU approved a recommendation aimed at enhancing the EU's capabilities to protect its critical infrastructure with concrete measures.
The Council's recommendations also emphasize the importance of undersea telecommunication cable connections for global and intra-EU connections. The Council's recommendations also highlight the importance of the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) for the EU's cyber security and the interference tolerance of the digital infrastructure.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications is responsible for the implementation of the directive at the national level. ■