EU plans first undersea internet cable directly linking Europe to Greenland
The Pan-Arctic Cable is framed as sovereign and secure, and could later extend to Canada, Japan and South Korea without passing through the United States.
The European Union intends to build the first subsea internet cable linking Europe directly to Greenland, a project called Pan-Arctic Cable. It is listed as an EU flagship in a European Commission joint communication dated October 20, 2026, which frames the link as sovereign, secure and resilient. The plan could later reach Canada and then Japan and South Korea, a route that would avoid the United States. A researcher at the Atlantic Council notes that such a project would have looked commercially unattractive five years ago, which she sees as a sign of current geopolitical priorities.
Why it matters
The project is listed as an EU flagship in a Commission communication dated October 20, 2026, and it would give Europe a direct internet route to Greenland that does not depend on US infrastructure. If it is extended to Canada and then to Japan and South Korea, it would create an Arctic path between regions that currently rely heavily on routes through the United States. An Atlantic Council researcher argues that a project like this would have looked commercially unattractive five years ago, which suggests that geopolitical priorities are now shaping infrastructure decisions that were previously driven mainly by commercial returns.
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