International support for the North-East Passage telecommunications cable

Constructing a telecommunications cable between Europe and Asia via the North-East Passage would be politically and technologically feasible, says a report presented to Finland's Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner by Paavo Lipponen and Reijo Svento.

If the project was carried out, the cable would significantly speed up telecommunications between Europe and Asia and respond to the increasing capacity needs. It would also benefit the national economies in Europe, Russia and Asia.

The challenges that came up during the study are related to such matters as information security and project financing. The company that would be responsible for the telecommunications should be neutral and able to ensure protection of privacy.

The submarine section of the cable would be a connection of around 10,500 km from Japan and China to Kirkenes in Norway and the Kola peninsula in Russia. The project implementation is expected to take several years.