Hibernia Networks extends submarine cable to Cork, Ireland, provides access to U.S., U.K.

Hibernia Networks is connecting its Express submarine cable to Cork, Ireland, via the buildout of a new cable landing station, giving area service providers and businesses access to North America and the U.K.

What drove Hibernia to add this new route was the growth of Ireland's data center and cloud services market. By adding this connection, Hibernia said that Ireland will have the necessary connectivity it needs to support its technology community for the next 25 years.

"We already have two cables connecting the island of Ireland to North America with one going from Northern Ireland and the other one from Dublin," said Bjarni Thorvardarson, CEO of Hibernia Networks, in an interview with FierceTelecom. "We thought there might be an opportunity to give Cork the direct connection in both West and East by taking four fiber pairs connecting Cork with North America via our existing infrastructure and the direct connectivity into the UK and the rest of Europe."

Thorvardarson added that "our interest was there because over the past few years Cork has been successful in attracting technology companies in Ireland."

Ireland will now have three cable connections to North America. Before Hibernia came to the country in 2003, Ireland only had one. "Ireland will have a general diversity play into North America," Thorvardarson said. 

Hibernia's network infrastructure partner TE Connectivity SubCom said it has completed the route survey and that over 90 percent of lightweight cable and 65 percent of armored cable have been manufactured, meaning they are getting close to the installation phase.

The company added that the "project is on target to be ready for provisional acceptance in summer 2015."

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