The existing two cables. Mynd:
Third undersea data cable in preparation
A research ship working for Farice is working to finish mapping the sea bed before the end of this summer in preparation for a new undersea data cable between Iceland and the rest of Europe. The state telecommunications fund appointed Farice, which runs Iceland’s existing two internet cables, to start preparations for a third.
According to Morgunblaðið sources, it has not yet been decided whether the State will also appoint Farice to lay the new cable or choose a private company for the job.
The seabed between Grindavík and Killala in Ireland is the line being researched for the new cable. It is estimated the research will cost in the region of 1.9 million euro, or 260 million krónur. The cable itself will cost in the region of four to five billion krónur.
Both for data security and to ensure Iceland’s ability to receive and send large amounts of internet traffic, it is considered important to establish a third physical point of contact with mainland Europe. It is actually considered surprising that neither Farice 1 nor Danice (Farice 2) have yet had a major blackout.
Farice 1 was laid in 2003 and Danice was laid in 2009. The risk of failures increases with age and major international companies considering investment in Iceland are said to be placing great emphasis on continued reliable internet connections to the rest of the world.
