Many MindedEU backs a Greenland subsea cable to route around US and Red Sea chokepoints
The European Union plans the first subsea internet cable to link Europe directly with Greenland. Called the Pan-Arctic Cable, it is named an EU flagship project in a European Commission joint communication on a new Arctic strategy, published October 20, 2026. The project already has EU backing through the Connecting Europe Facility Digital program. In 2025, European companies and research organizations signed an agreement with a Greenland telecom operator to develop it, according to Submarine Cable Networks. The EU has also put about $119 million (107 million euros) into Greenland's secure connectivity.
The strategy treats Canada as a possible stepping stone. From there the cable could eventually reach Japan and South Korea, bypassing the United States. The case rests on how concentrated today's routes are. TeleGeography says more than 90 percent of Europe-Asia communications run through undersea cables in the Red Sea, where fighting between the Yemeni government and Houthis resumed this year. The strategy also proposes an Arctic Cable Hub to monitor, protect and help repair North Atlantic and Arctic cables, plus smart early-warning cable technology.
For connection, the value is redundancy. Another route means one war zone, one strait or one government matters less to whether people can get online. Cables have been cut in the Baltic and near Taiwan, and Iran has threatened fees on cable operators using the Strait of Hormuz. Diverse paths make access harder to disrupt or ration, which supports security too.
The caveats are large. The Canada and Asia links are suggested possibilities, not committed plans. The Asia extension is a long-term goal with considerable challenges, including a shortage of European icebreaker ships. Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council said the project would have looked commercially unattractive five years ago, which is her opinion. The earlier Arctic Connect cable, planned through Russian waters, was halted in May 2021. Watch for a funding decision, a construction timeline and any Canadian partner.
Source: Ars Technica