New Greenlandic subsea cable worth $468 million added to Denmark’s Arctic defense deal
Reported by Greenlandic outlet Sermitsiaq on Friday, Denmark’s forthcoming defense agreement for the Arctic and North Atlantic is expected to include a new subsea cable, added at the last minute, to supplement Greenland’s two existing cables. The cable aims to strengthen critical digital infrastructure in the region while reducing Greenland’s vulnerability to long-term internet outages.
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New subsea cable added in the final hours of talks, intended to back up and boost capacity alongside the two current cables.
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Estimated cost: DKK 3 billion (USD 468 million).
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Deal negotiated with Greenland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Research Vivian Motzfeldt (S); press conference was expected Friday afternoon.
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Other elements reported from leaked notes: new military HQ in Nuuk, purchase of two additional vessels, icebreaker capacity, docking for Arctic deployments, radar in East Greenland, drones, and upgrades at Kangerlussuaq Airport.
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Inclusion of the cable followed an eleventh-hour meeting during the opening debate between IA MP Aaja Chemnitz and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen (V).
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Background: Subagreement 1 (January 2025) launched a feasibility study for a North Atlantic cable to deliver faster internet and provide redundancy if existing lines fail; Subagreement 2 builds on this track.
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Vulnerability cited by researcher Signe Ravn-Højgaard (Digital Infrastruktur): with only two cables, a cut could mean 6–9 months without internet in Greenland; existing cables have ~25-year lifespans, with the first laid in 2008 needing replacement before 2033.
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Prior Arctic package earmarked DKK 14.6 billion (USD 2.28 billion) for three Arctic ships, two long-range drones and satellite surveillance.
