Quick Facts
- IOEMA-1 project targets Q1 2029 launch for 24-fiber-pair, 1,600-km petabit-class cable connecting five European nations
- Meta announced Project Waterworth spanning 50,000 km across five continents with 1 petabit capacity goals
- Japanese firms NEC and NTT successfully tested 12-core multicore fiber achieving 1.7 petabit per second over 3,000 km
Europe has entered a high-stakes race to deploy the world’s first petabit-class submarine cable before 2030. The IOEMA-1 project aims to connect digital hubs across the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom with a 24-fiber-pair system spanning 1,600 kilometers.
IOEMA-1 Holding B.V. announced a strategic partnership with APTelecom Limited to advance commercial development. The system targets a ready-for-service date of Q1 2029.
“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.
Meta poses formidable competition with Project Waterworth, spanning over 50,000 kilometers across five continents. Alex Aime, vice president of network investments at Meta, confirmed the company’s petabit ambitions.
“The next subsea cable, we target to double the capacity. We spoke about half petabit for the transatlantic, so the idea will be to go to 1 petabit,” Aime said.
Japanese technology leaders NEC and NTT have demonstrated breakthrough capabilities. Their 12-core multicore fiber transmitted 1.7 petabits per second across 7,280 kilometers in testing. The technology packs twelve optical signal transmission paths within standard diameter optical fiber.
AI demand drives unprecedented investment. Submarine cable investments are projected to reach $13 billion between 2025-2027, nearly double the $7 billion invested from 2022-2024. The market will grow from $7.96 billion in 2023 to $9.80 billion by 2029.
“AI is increasing the need that we have for subsea infrastructure,” said Meta’s Aime. “Without the connectivity that connects those data centers, what you have are really expensive warehouses.”
Submarine cables carry 95% of intercontinental internet traffic and approximately $10 trillion in daily financial transactions. The European Union has recognized IOEMA-1 as a project of European interest under its Connecting Europe Facility.
The cable industry faces technical challenges. Submarine cables typically require five to seven years from planning to operation. IOEMA-1’s coastal route offers security advantages by creating monitored borders for ships, including vessels that don’t transmit position signals.
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