The operator is the sole telecom consortium member for the high-capacity cable as investors pile into European infrastructure
EXA Infrastructure has confirmed it completed the deployment of a new fibre route connecting London to Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels. The new 1,200 km route includes 1,085 km of new low-loss G.652D terrestrial fibre for end-to-end connectivity and a 115 km subsea build from Margate, UK to Ostend, Belgium, utilising ultra-low-loss G.654C cable.
Integral to this project is a new consortium submarine cable, where EXA Infrastructure is the sole telecom consortium member, responsible for providing landing party and backhaul services. Interestingly the project includes two scalable cable landing stations, modern high-fibre-count cables, and upgrades to existing In-Line Amplifier (ILA) facilities across the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The two new landing stations – EXA’s 21st and 22nd globally – further strengthen its network spanning the US East Coast, Western Europe and the Mediterranean. The carrier is gearing up for the inevitable data centre interconnect wave which is reshaping the wholesale market. In May, following the success of an industry-first trial of the Nokia ICE7 coherent optical solution in Europe, EXA Infrastructure selected the high-performance 1.2T transport solution to upgrade its terrestrial network. It reckons network capacity will increase by as much as 15% while reducing power and cost per bit by as much as 50%.
It isn’t hard to spot why data centre interconnect is driving optical investment. Just last week, Emirati hyperscale data centre builder and operator Khazna Data Centers announced a partnership with Italian energy company Eni to establish a joint venture to develop an AI data centre campus with a hefty total IT capacity of 500 MW in Ferrera Erbognone, Lombardy.
And Start Campus, which is developing the SINES DC project, a 1.2GW data centre campus in Portugal, just released a report with Copenhagen Economics claiming that further growth in data centre development in the country could contribute up to €26 billion to the national GDP between 2025 and 2030. Between 2022 and 2024, data centres already added €311 million to Portugal’s GDP, also sustaining around 1,700 jobs annually.
Their study found that by 2030, around 70% of computing capacity will be dedicated to AI applications, underscoring the need for modern, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure. Demand for this capacity is expected to grow at a rate of 33% per year through the end of the decade. Portugal is being highlighted here because its competitive electricity cost is approximately 30% below the European average – and a large supply of electricity from renewable sources – 87.5% of total net generation.
Connectivity in a FLAP
Meanwhile, back in northern Europe, EXA reckons it is adding proper redundancy with its. New cable. “This is a real milestone for robust connectivity options in Europe and includes the first new subsea cable on this complex corridor – the North Sea – in 25 years, said EXA Infrastructure SVP strategic network investments and product management Steve Roberts. “This new route complements our investment in the Channel Tunnel, delivering scalable, modern and optimised fibre paths between key FLAP hubs.”
“This has been a complex and challenging build,” added EXA Infrastructure COO Ciaran Delaney. “The regulatory landscape in Europe, plus the North Sea’s challenging seabed conditions, demanded ‘in-region’ expertise in the various jurisdictions, as well as sophisticated installation techniques – particularly on the wet segments – to install and protect the system from future interruption to service.”
He added: “We have the right expertise and experience to overcome the most complex and demanding situations to deliver next-generation connectivity across Europe.”
