Swedish firm to lay new fiber-optic cable linking Sweden, Estonia and Finland by 2027

GlobalConnect AB, a Swedish telecommunications company, is set to build a new fiber-optic communications cable that will connect Gotland (Sweden) to Saaremaa, then Hiiumaa and the Estonian mainland, before extending under the Baltic Sea to Helsinki (Finland). In Estonia, the terrestrial portion will stretch about 250 km from Haapsalu to Viimsi, complementing roughly 300 km of submarine cable linking the three nations' islands and coasts.

Preliminary seabed surveys near Saaremaa are being conducted to determine the optimal route and evaluate any environmental concerns. The €40 million project, of which €15.7 million comes from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility Digital programme, does not draw direct funding from the Estonian government, though it has helped secure EU support and facilitate permits. With several existing cables already damaged by maritime incidents, the new link is intended to diversify and reinforce data traffic in the Baltic region, enhancing digital resilience for Estonia and its neighbours.