Climate Changed
Melting Arctic Means New Undersea Cables for High-Speed Traders
- Ice melt opens way for shorter intercontinental data cables
- Fiber link may still get tangled up in East-West geopolitics
Photographer: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images
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Global warming has opened up Arctic passages to new shipping routes. Now the melting ice is handing an opportunity to other industries.
Submarine data cables have become easier to lay in previously frozen regions, offering a shorter route for communications between the world’s major economic centers and giving a competitive edge for high-frequency traders, data centers and connected factories.