The EU wants a new undersea internet cable from Europe to Greenland, with a possible later link to Asia, as Red Sea routes and cable security worry planners.
Europe is planning a new undersea internet cable that would run to Greenland and avoid the United States entirely. It is called the Pan-Arctic Cable. The European Commission named it a flagship project in a policy paper published on October 20, 2026. The longer goal is to reach Japan and South Korea by way of Canada.
The policy paper backs a "sovereign, secure and resilient" cable connecting Greenland directly to the EU. It also says partners like Canada could be a stepping stone for later expansion toward Asia. The project took shape in 2025, when European companies and research groups signed a development agreement with a Greenland telecom operator. It now has EU backing through a program called Connecting Europe Facility Digital.
Today, more than 90 percent of communications between Europe and Asia run through undersea cables in the Red Sea, according to TeleGeography. That area has become riskier. Open warfare resumed this year between the Yemeni government and the Houthi faction, and Houthi forces have fired missiles and drones at commercial ships there.
Politics also plays a part. Relations between the US and its European and Canadian allies have grown more strained since President Trump started trade wars with several countries. Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council said the idea would have looked commercially unattractive five years ago, but now fits the times.
Cables have been damaged in recent years. Russian- and Chinese-linked ships have cut European cables in the Baltic Sea by dragging anchors. Chinese-linked ships have also cut cables near Taiwan. In spring 2026, NATO forces confronted Russian submarines practicing how to disable cables near Norway, Reuters reported. The EU says it will respond with:
The EU has already put $119 million (107 million euros) toward Greenland's secure connectivity, alongside funding for the cable plan. The material does not give a total cost, a construction start or a finish date.
The Asia extension faces real obstacles. Installing and repairing cable in icy Arctic waters needs more European icebreaker ships. An earlier Arctic Connect cable along Russia's coast was halted in May 2021. A separate Norwegian-led project, the Leif Erikson system, is seeking a Canadian partner for a direct Europe-to-Canada cable.
Nothing changes for your internet today. The point of more routes is simple. If one cable is cut or a region becomes unsafe, traffic has more places to go. That could mean fewer outages for the apps and services people and businesses depend on.
Europe is trying to add Arctic internet routes so traffic has more paths if cables fail, but no timeline for the cable has been given.
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