Space Norway hires Ciena to equip Arctic Way cable and upgrade Svalbard links
Space Norway has awarded Ciena a turnkey contract to modernise its existing Svalbard subsea links and equip the planned Arctic Way cable from mainland Norway via Jan Mayen to Svalbard, which is expected in service in 2028.
State-owned Space Norway has awarded Ciena a turnkey contract to modernise the optical network on its existing Svalbard subsea cables and to equip the planned Arctic Way system, the company said in a press release on 13 October.
The contract covers design and deployment from end to end across both the legacy links and the new cable, according to SubTel Forum. Ciena will supply its 6500 optical platform with WaveLogic 6 Extreme transponders, Spectrum Sharing and the Navigator Network Control Suite. Space Norway says that standardising on one platform across new and legacy routes will bring significant operating cost efficiencies, and that future terrestrial extensions are planned. Contract value, capacity and installation dates were not disclosed.
Arctic Way is a 2,350 km repeatered trunk and branch cable lying entirely within the Arctic Circle, with landings at Bodø on the mainland, Jan Mayen and Longyearbyen on Svalbard, according to SubCom, which was contracted in February 2025 to survey, manufacture and install it. Service is expected in 2028, and Space Norway describes it as the world's northernmost subsea cable system. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.
The two existing Svalbard cables are near the end of a 25 year design life but are expected to run for several years past 2028 and will then serve as backup, according to SubCom's release. The Ciena upgrade is meant to extend their life and give Arctic Way the same technology base when it enters service.
"Reliable connectivity is essential in the Arctic," said Pia Birgitte Bruhn, VP Cable Systems at Space Norway. The network carries research, scientific, government and national security communications, and Space Norway says it will complement its satellite infrastructure by adding path diversity.
For the Nordic market, the contract moves forward the largest new fibre investment in Norway's Arctic and shows operators standardising one optical platform across legacy and new subsea systems. The next steps to watch are the installation of Arctic Way ahead of its 2028 service date and the planned terrestrial extensions.
Source: Space Norway, SubTel Forum, SubCom
This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed by the SDC-Platform editorial team before publication.
