Looking to advance network visibility, control and operational redundancy to achieve operational cost efficiencies and consistent performance across subsea systems, Space Norway has embarked on a modernisation programme on its existing Svalbard subsea cable systems and will deploy “state-of-the-art” networking technology on its new Arctic Way system.
Owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Space Norway claims to be Northern Europe’s leading satellite operator and a key player in the European space industry, providing reliable satellite solutions to governments, public and defence sectors, commercial maritime, land-based industries and major broadcasters. Its hybrid infrastructure comprises satellites, teleports, fibre networks and subsea cables, and the company delivers critical connectivity services across EMEA, the Arctic and Antarctic.
Operating in some of the world’s most challenging geographic environments, Space Norway provides mission-critical communications relied upon by research, scientific and national security organisations. Arctic Way is said to be the world’s northernmost subsea cable system and is expected to commence service in 2028, offering a critical asset for transmitting data traffic between the mainland, Jan Mayen and Svalbard. The latter is rated as one of the world’s major Arctic research hubs.
The upgraded subsea network will complement Space Norway’s satellite-based infrastructure, creating a diverse communications topology to meet uptime demands across the region. The network upgrade is based on technology from Ciena and is ultimately designed to extend the operational lifespan of Space Norway’s subsea infrastructure while expanding secure, high-resilience connectivity to critical new locations across the Arctic.
By standardising on Ciena’s technology across both the new and legacy subsea routes, Space Norway believes that it can achieve significant operational cost efficiencies and consistent performance across its entire subsea footprint, with future terrestrial extensions planned.
“Reliable connectivity is essential in the Arctic, where our infrastructure supports critical activities and demanding operational requirements,” said Space Norway acting vice-president of Cable Systems, Pia Birgitte Bruhn.
“By working with Ciena, we are extending the operational life of our existing Svalbard cable systems while preparing Arctic Way for service. This investment will strengthen the resilience and capacity of our subsea network and support the region’s long-term connectivity needs.”
Under the terms of the companies’ contract agreement, Ciena is providing end-to-end design, deployment, and optical technology, including the 6500 Optical Platform powered by WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) transponders and Spectrum Sharing capabilities. Ciena added that use of its Navigator Network Control Suite (Navigator NCS) will provide Space Norway with the ability to gain network visibility, control and operational redundancy.
“Organisations delivering mission-critical connectivity in remote and harsh environments need infrastructure built for resilience and long-term durability,” said Ciena vice-president of global subsea and MOFN, Thomas Soerensen. “Ciena is proud to be selected by Space Norway to enable reliable and high-speed connectivity in one of the world’s most strategically important and challenging Arctic environments, safeguarding communications well into the future.”
The contract with Space Norway comes hot on the heels of Ciena inking a deal with the UK’s leading broadband provider Openreach to deploy its optical networking technology to give wholesale customers more flexible, tailored options for services that need to carry very large amounts of data. The optical systems will see use in offering tailored network solutions serving specialist locations such as cable landing stations (CLS), access and backhaul services to core intersect nodes and datacentres.
