North Pole Fiber Project Finds New Opportunities at the CEF Digital Community Event

On 17th October 2024 the Polar Connect team attended the first CEF Digital Community Event in Brussels. Per Nihlén and Lisa Olsson, from Sunet, and Valter Nordh and Ieva Muraskiene, from NORDUnet, represented the North Pole Fiber Project.

The CEF Digital Community Event was organised by the European Commission, in collaboration with HaDEA, and brought together a wide array of stakeholders, including representatives from the European Commission, leaders of other co-funded initiatives, and potential investors. The event thus provided a valuable platform for networking and discussing the advancement of Europe’s digital infrastructure.

The event featured opening speeches by Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General of DG-CNECT; Marina Zanchi, Director of HaDEA; and Franco Accordino, Deputy Director-General of the Unit ‘Investment in High-Capacity Networks’ at DG-CNECT.

In addition to the main sessions, our team engaged in side meetings with European Commission officials to align the North Pole Fiber Project with other Arctic Connectivity initiatives. These meetings focused on forging partnerships to unlock collaborative potential to develop the innovative digital routes and thereby strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy and sovereignty.

A key highlight of the event was the Global Gateways workshop, led by Thomas Kuepper and Georgios Tselentis from DG-CNECT. This session provided a strategic overview of submarine cable projects and offered an opportunity for the projects to showcase their initiatives. During the workshop the North Pole Fiber Project team presented the poster, which generated interest among attendees, and facilitated connections with potential investors, who are interested in supporting submarine fiber cable projects.

The North Pole Fiber Project’s participation at the CEF Digital Community Event promoted further opportunities and provided a better understanding of investor interest and the ecosystem for building resilient communication networks in one of the world’s least explored regions. This engagement also allowed the promotion of the project’s mission to contribute to Europe’s long-term digital global gateways strategy.

Read more about the CEF Digital Programme on European Commission’s website

Ieva Muraskiene och Lisa Olsson at the CEF Digital Community Event 2024.

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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