Polar Connect at PTC 2026

Polar Connect participated in PTC’26 in Honolulu, the leading global forum for the telecommunications and subsea cable community. The conference provided a key opportunity to engage with international partners and advance the project’s mission of establishing a resilient, high‑capacity digital backbone through the Central Arctic Ocean.

Throughout the week, the team engaged in an intensive program of meetings with international stakeholders, including NTT Smart Connect, SoftBank, Vela Infrastructure, SK Broadband, Korea Telecom, Arteria Networks, NEC, ASN, IT International Telecom, WFN Strategies and Pioneer Consulting. These discussions focused on shared interests, partnership opportunities, and the role of trusted international collaboration in strengthening global connectivity.

Global alignment for a future‑shaping Arctic project

For a project of Polar Connect’s scale, strong international relations are essential. PTC 2026 provided an opportunity to:

  • deepen collaboration with world‑leading suppliers
  • gain insight into technical and commercial trends
  • identify partners for design, installation, and operations
  • strengthen the project’s global legitimacy and strategic relevance

The discussions focused on technology, capacity, installation, regulatory considerations, and global traffic flows, all key building blocks for realizing Polar Connect’s vision.

Strengthening global partnership

By engaging with stakeholders from Asia, North America, and Europe, Polar Connect reinforced its position as a future hub for Arctic digital infrastructure. PTC 2026 thus marked an important step toward establishing a resilient and sustainable digital highway across the Central Arctic Ocean.

Per Nihlén

Organisation: Sunet, Swedish Research Council
Title: Chair of the Polar Connect Advisory Board and Chief Technology Officer and Inventory

Per is the Chair of the Polar Connect Advisory Board . He serves as Head of Unit at  the Swedish Research Council, where he leads the development and operation of Sweden’s national infrastructure for research and education in networking and digital communication. With over three decades of experience in digital infrastructure and public-sector innovation, Per leadership has been instrumental in advancing high-capacity networks that support research collaboration, data-intensive science, and education across the Nordic region. Per is also Chair of the Board of the Foundation for the Development of Telematics, a grant-making foundation that supports the advancement of high-performance digital infrastructure in Sweden. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Netnod, representing the foundation as owner and contributing to the governance of Sweden’s critical internet infrastructure. Per has been a trusted advisor to government agencies, research institutions, and international collaborations.

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