Russia starts operation to lay undersea fibre optic cable through Arctic

MURMANSK, Russia: Russia on Friday begins laying its first undersea fibre optic communications cable through the Arctic as part of a state-run project to bring high-speed internet to its remote hydrocarbon-rich north after a private-led initiative stalled.

Moscow is aiming to improve patchy communications and infrastructure in its far north where it has expanded its military presence and is developing the Northern Sea Route to become a major shipping lane. The cable link, due to be completed in 2026, will pass 12,650 kilometres (7,860 miles) over Russia's long northern coast from the village of Teriberka, on the Barents Sea, to the far eastern port of Vladivostok.