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- IOEMA-1 connects five nations through a high-capacity subsea infrastructure network
- APTelecom partnership strengthens commercial strategy for Northern European cable deployment
- European Union classifies IOEMA-1 as a strategic digital infrastructure project
European consortium IOEMA 1 Holding has announced a strategic partnership with advisory firm APTelecom to advance a petabit-class subsea cable system.
This planned 24-fiber-pair network spans roughly 1,600 kilometers across five Northern European nations, aiming to connect digital hubs in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
The consortium expects this underwater cable system to become ready for service during the first quarter of 2029.
Japan and Meta already have ambitious cable projects
Japanese corporations NEC and NTT have already successfully trialled a revolutionary submarine cable technology using 12-core multicore fiber, which packs twelve optical signal transmission paths within a standard outer diameter optical fiber.
Existing submarine cables typically rely on single-core fiber with only one transmission path.
The Japanese team transmitted hundreds of terabits across a staggering distance of 7,280 kilometers, with a sophisticated algorithm solving the interference problem known as crosstalk between neighboring cores.
NEC developed a demodulation algorithm using MIMO technology to separate overlapping signals accurately, and NTT simultaneously created a coupled multicore fiber transmission line that manages signal delay non-uniformity.
Similarly, Meta is building subsea infrastructure across the globe to move information for billions of daily users.
The company employs submarine cable systems engineers who work end-to-end on these massive projects.
Their responsibilities span capacity planning, route design, ocean surveys, manufacturing oversight, and deployment strategy.
More than 95% of intercontinental internet traffic rides on subsea cable systems today, and reliability is not optional for a company operating at Meta's enormous scale.
The company is pursuing Project Waterworth, which would become the world's longest subsea cable system.
Each of these efforts faces different technical and financial hurdles on its own timeline.
The Japanese technology has been demonstrated successfully, but full commercial deployment remains unproven at scale, and European infrastructure projects often face regulatory delays that push target dates years beyond initial estimates.
Meta has not publicly committed to a specific completion date or petabit capacity for Waterworth.
The explosion of artificial intelligence demand for bandwidth is real and pressing for operators, however, submarine cables typically take five to seven years from planning to actual operation underwater.
Subsea cable development
The European Union has recognized this cable as a project of European interest under its Connecting Europe Facility.
“Partnering with APTelecom brings additional deep expertise and wide-ranging market access at an important juncture in IOEMA’s development of our first cable system, IOEMA-1,” said Andrew Parsons, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of IOEMA.
APTelecom says it will contribute advisory expertise in carrier engagement, infrastructure strategy, and market strategy.
“IOEMA-1 is a strategically important project that addresses the growing demand for resilient, high-capacity connectivity across Northern Europe,” said Sean Bergin, President of APTelecom.
“We are excited to support the team in engaging the market and driving the project toward successful delivery.
Via Subseacables
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