MP welcomes news of Norway-Shetland subsea data cable being explored
VodafoneThree said the cable could ‘help make northern Scotland and Shetland more attractive locations for data centre investment’
THE FEASIBILITY of a new data cable between the UK and Norway – via Shetland – is being explored.
VodafoneThree is behind the project, having already looked into the prospect of another cable between Shetland and the UK mainland too.
It is thought that a cable between Shetland and Norway could boost national resilience, with the UK Government said to be supportive of the proposals.
Early research has found that a cable to Norway has the potential to provide “significant economic value” by delivering greater connectivity to support businesses, public services, defence, data centres and vital national infrastructure.
It said it could provide £8.2 billion in economic value over the next ten years.
“By providing additional high-capacity, resilient connectivity, the cable could help make northern Scotland and Shetland more attractive locations for data centre investment,” VodafoneThree added.
A feasibility study is expected get underway in the summer of 2027. On the Norway side, it will also look at possible landing points and delivery partners in the Bergen region.
It could form a high-speed subsea cable route linking mainland Scotland to Shetland and onward to Norway.
It comes amid continued concern about the vulnerability of undersea cables from the threat of sabotage.
Then UK defence secretary John Healey said in April that three Russian submarines had carried out a “covert” operation above cables and pipelines in the Atlantic, north of the UK.
Defence secretary West Streeting has hailed the Norway-Shetland project and said: “Protecting our network of undersea cables is vital to keeping our country safe.
“Our adversaries are increasingly targeting our critical national infrastructure, including the cables that carry data and enable internet traffic and financial transactions.
“This is a very welcome step that could not only improve connectivity and boost our economy, especially in Scotland, but strengthen the UK’s national resilience, prevent disruption, and keep us all safe.”
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VodafoneThree business director Nick Gliddon added: “Reliable international connectivity is vital to the UK’s defence, strengthening our resilience to disruption and enhancing the security of the critical infrastructure on which our economy and public services depend.
“Norway is a strategically important partner, with a shared commitment to protecting infrastructure across the North Atlantic.
“A new digital corridor would strengthen the physical links between our countries, add vital route diversity and support secure, resilient connectivity for critical infrastructure on both sides of the North Sea.
“It could also unlock investment in data centres and AI, creating skilled jobs and wider economic opportunities. This study will help establish the economic and strategic case for the route and identify the partnerships needed to deliver it.”
Last year VodafoneThree announced plans to undertake a feasibility study of a new cable from Shetland to the Scottish mainland, which is now complete.
It said at the time that such a cable would “bring much-needed digital resilience to the islands”, as well as supporting “expected future demand in connectivity services”.
The Scottish Government then announced its own intention to look into another cable from Shetland to the mainland.
It comes after a few communications outages in Shetland in recent years caused by breaks on the SHEFA subsea cable, which were thought to have been caused by fishing vessels.
Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael welcomed news that UK government ministers are supportive of a proposed new subsea data cable between Shetland and Norway.
“This is a positive signal of both VodafoneThree and the government’s commitment to improving communications resilience in the North Sea and for the Northern Isles in particular. While I would like to see a little more pace in this plans, the direction of travel is good,” he said.
“When the government has taken improving connectivity and resilience in the isles seriously we have seen significant progress over the years, but that is no cause for complacency. Good and reliable connectivity is a basic expectation for our communities – now is the time to deliver it.”
If the link was laid it would be the first new direct subsea cable between Scotland and Norway in around a quarter of a century, VodafoneThree said.
Meanwhile the UK Government announced today a £90 million investment in new drones, sensors and AI systems for the Royal Navy, which it says will make the country more secure from Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic.
An advanced system, known as Atlantic Net will see the Navy equipped with a new network of autonomous systems operating across the North Atlantic.
These will include advanced sensors, which will help detect Russian submarines and “nefarious activity and uncrewed systems, which will be able to patrol the depths of the seas, hunting down threats”.
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