Farice, the Icelandic telecommunications company, is set to expand its infrastructure with a new subsea cable named AUÐUR. Designed to connect Iceland with Scotland, the new cable will enhance connectivity to European data hubs, providing a resilient and high-capacity route for digital services.
The AUÐUR cable aims to cover approximately 1,300 kilometers, linking the south coast of Iceland to Glasgow. It will feature 16–24 fiber pairs, boasting a capacity of up to 480 Tbps. This capacity is particularly significant for the Nordic region, an area experiencing a surge in data center investments.
Currently, Iceland is connected by four subsea networks: the Greenland Connect cable linking to Canada, the IRIS connection to Ireland, the DANICE line to Denmark, and the FARICE-1 cable connecting to the Faroe Islands and northern Scotland. The AUÐUR system is envisioned as a modern successor to FARICE-1, which has been operational since 2004 and is approaching retirement.
The proposal for AUÐUR has attracted interest due to its plans for a low-latency connection between Iceland and Europe’s network hubs. This aligns with the increasing importance of interconnectivity with the Nordic markets, which continue to build their status as data center powerhouses. The CEO of Farice, Thorvardur Sveinsson, emphasized the strategic value: “The time has come to further strengthen Iceland’s telecommunications infrastructure by building a new high-capacity cable.”
A marine survey is slated for next year, with the cable expected to become operational by 2030. The cable is a tribute to Auður the Deep-Minded (Auður djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir), a historical settler who sailed from Scotland to Iceland in the 9th century, symbolizing the enduring connection between these regions.
The decision to invest in submarine cables like AUÐUR highlights the rapid evolution of the industry, an area marked by continuous technological advancements and increasing demands for data capacity. As such, AUÐUR represents both a technical upgrade and a strategic enhancement for Iceland’s digital connectivity.
