Joint communications statement
In line with the EU-Canada Digital Partnership and to strengthen the collaboration on submarine cables, NORDUnet and CANARIE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Polar Connect initiative aimed at safeguarding European and Canadian digital sovereignties. This agreement recognizes the benefits of secure, resilient, and sustainable international connectivity between Europe and other world regions through the Arctic, in support of research, economic development, innovation, and education.
In our modern digital society, more than 97% of the internet traffic flows via submarine cables. However, the routes used by those cables have become insecure in the current geopolitical context.
Therefore, Polar Connect will use a novel cable route through the Arctic linking Europe, Asia, and Canada using a resilient, secure, and sovereign infrastructure, key to Europe’s and Canada’s digital autonomies.
Valter Nordh, NORDUnet CEO, stated: “NORDUnet and the Nordic National Research and Education Networks have identified and created an innovative vision for such a resilient system[1], promoting the new infrastructure Polar Connect, highly critical and enabling new opportunities in terms of communications and research collaboration with our international partners. The Polar Connect route is now recognised as a priority area for Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEI) by the European Union[2], confirming the initiative’s strategic importance for Europe’s digital future.”
Michael Tremblay, CANARIE President and CEO, added: “At CANARIE, we believe that trusted networks are essential to advancing research, education, and innovation in a complex global environment. Polar Connect represents an important step in building secure, resilient, and sovereign digital infrastructure that strengthens connectivity between Canada, Europe, Asia, and beyond, while supporting our shared commitment to open, collaborative, and trusted international partnerships.”
CANARIE and NORDUnet have a long history of collaboration in networking, including through initiatives supporting trans-Atlantic connectivity and global network advancement. They both recognize the strategic importance and asset of a strong, sustainable, and resilient international footprint for Canada and Europe, and its potential to support innovation, research collaboration, and broader economic and technological cooperation, including in the context of initiatives such as the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy and the EU – Canada Digital Partnership.
About NORDUnet
NORDUnet is a collaboration between the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) of the five Nordic countries, i.e., Denmark (DeiC), Finland (Funet/CSC), Iceland (RHnet), Norway (Sikt), and Sweden (Sunet). NORDUnet operates a world-class data network, based on dark fiber and spectrum sharing, together with support for e-infrastructures, including media services like videoconferencing and lecture capturing & playback. More than 400 research & education institutions in the Nordics, with over 1.2 million users, are connected via the Nordic NREN networks, enabling scientists, educators, and students to work and share knowledge globally. NORDUnet is an active participant in the European NREN collaboration GÉANT and is a founding father of intercontinental NREN collaborations such as the Advanced North Atlantic (ANA) and Asia–Pacific Europe Ring (AER) systems that are part of the Global Research and Education Network (GREN). In 2020, NORDUnet celebrated 40 years of Nordic NREN collaboration.
Contact: ieva@nordu.net
Strategy and Policy Officer | NORDUnet
About CANARIE
CANARIE, together with its 13 provincial and territorial partners, forms Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN). This ultra-high-speed network connects Canada’s researchers and educators to each other and to global data, technology, and colleagues. To strengthen the security of Canada’s research and education sector, CANARIE collaborates with its partners in the NREN, government, academia, and the private sector to fund, implement, and support cybersecurity initiatives. CANARIE also provides identity management services to the academic community through eduroam and identity and access management services. Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with most of its funding provided by the Government of Canada.
Contact: Lesley McElroy
Director, Communications | CANARIE
[1] https://polarconnect.net/Vision2030
[2] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/submarine-cable-security-toolbox-and-cable-projects-european-interest
