Digital Infrastructure Explained

GlobalConnect have initiated a project to establish four new subsea cable systems in the Baltic Sea. The new cables will connect Sweden, Estonia and Finland effectively creating a ~550 km long-haul route, adding new routes for long-haul capacity offerings.

New subsea cables (~300km) will be constructed between Gotland, Sweden to the Estonian islands, Saaremaa, and Hiiumaa, before extending inland through Estonia, via Tallinn and across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki. In addition, GlobalConnect will deploy several hundred kilometers of terrestrial fiber routes in Estonia.

Digital infrastructure refers to the physical and virtual systems that make digital life possible. It enables everything from online banking and e-prescriptions to social media and artificial intelligence.

• Fiber networks form the backbone on the internet, transporting massive amounts of data at the speed of light through cables thinner than a human hair.
• Mobile networks and 5G connect people and devices wirelessly.
• Data centers provide storage and processing power for cloud services, streaming platforms, and AI applications.

Because of its central role, digital infrastructure is recognized as critical national infrastructure—without it, societies cannot function.

Beneath the surface of our oceans lies the true backbone of the internet: subsea fiber cables. These cables carry around 95% of all global internet traffic. Without them, there would be no global connectivity.

Key facts about subsea cables:

• Subsea cables provide high capacity and low latency, ideal for data-heavy applications like streaming, AI, and cloud computing.
• There are only 600 subsea cables in the world.
• With multiple routes in place, they create redundancy: if one cable is cut, traffic can instantly be redirected through another.
• They are reinforced with steel, lead, and protective layers to withstand up to 15 tons of external pressure, such as from anchors or fishing gear.
• Along their length, In-Line Amplification (ILA) stations boost the light signal every ~100 km, ensuring uninterrupted transmission.

Simply put: no cables, no internet.

Data consumption is increasing at an unprecedented pace. The rise of AI and hyperscale cloud platforms is creating demand for levels of capacity never seen before. Today’s internet infrastructure will not be enough to meet tomorrow’s needs.

GlobalConnect is leading the way with several initiatives, including Project Bifrost—a long-term plan to expand the Nordic fiber network, build new redundant connections and add significant capacity upgrades.

Our goals:

• Redundancy: More routes in and out of the region, like building extra lanes on a highway.
• Resilience: Networks that can withstand threats and handle greater data loads.
• Capacity: Infrastructure designed for the exponential growth of digital traffic.