AsiaNet  84878

MOSCOW, July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

MegaFon is commencing the first stage of offshore surveys as part of the Arctic

Connect project aimed at building a trans-Arctic subsea telecommunications link

that will connect Europe and Asia.

MegaFon and Cinia, a Finnish infrastructure operator, signed a memorandum on

establishing an international consortium to build the first-ever trans-Arctic

telecommunications link in June 2019.

"The Arctic Connect project involves building a fibre optic link that will

connect continents where 85% of the global population is concentrated. Our plan

is to provide an unprecedentedly short signal transmission time and minimal

latency, outperforming all existing links. Offshore surveys are required to

select the optimal route for the link. In 2020, we will conduct a preliminary

survey of the seabed profile to identify safe routes in the Arctic seas; in

2021, we will conduct the second phase of the surveys, which will involve a

detailed examination of engineering parameters for underwater cable laying,

including a study of seabed rock. Similar surveys will be carried out for those

sections of the telecommunications link that are outside Russia's territorial

waters," said Frederic Vanoosthuyze, Adviser to MegaFon's CEO on Strategic

Infrastructure Projects.

MegaFon has partnered with Rosgeologiya to conduct the offshore surveys. The

Professor Logachev research vessel operated by this company will cover a

distance of 6,500 km, focusing on those sections of the route that are

characterised by the most challenging ice conditions in the Barents, Kara,

Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. The expedition will start on 5 August

2020 in Murmansk and will last three months.

Data traffic between continents is growing rapidly. Demand is generated by OTT

services, content providers, international telecom operators and major

corporate customers. The launch of the telecommunications link with a

throughput of 200 Tbit/s will help to meet this demand. The new fibre optic

link will run along the bottom of the Arctic Ocean along the Russian Arctic

coast. Extensions from the main route will also provide connectivity to

customers in the Arctic and the Far East.

Source: MegaFon