From Telecom TV 12/23/2021Cinia of Finland has teamed up with Alaska-based Far North Digital to build a fiber optic cable system called the Far North Fiber that will link Europe, Asia and North America through the Arctic. The planned 14,000-kilometers cable system will run from Japan, via the Northwest Passage, to Europe with landings in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic: European landings are planned in Norway, Finland and Ireland. The cost estimate for the build is #$%$1 billion. Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia?s Network Infrastructure division, has been awarded the contract for project design and installation, with the network estimated to be ready for service by the end of 2025. ?There is an increasing demand for secure and fast international connectivity with new diverse routes. Spanning three of the world?s largest internet adopting continents, the Far North Fiber will be a true global venture,? stated Cinia?s CEO Ari-Jussi Knaapila.Previously Nokia (NOKIA.HE) and Russia's YADRO plan to set up a joint venture to build 4G and 5G telecom base stations in Russia, the two equipment makers said last month, as a deadline for building networks using only Russian equipment approaches.