Eastern Light dark fiber build-out

Eastern Light builds, owns and operates long-haul fiber express infrastructure between major data centers and communication hubs in the Nordic countries. Our focus is on providing dark fiber to hyperscalers, cloud providers, carriers and other types of customers with demanding requirements for speed, security and reliability through controlling their own physical fiber routes. Our customers deploy their own active equipment on top of their dedicated fibers to create a complete communication service over which they have complete control.

Sweden – Finland I

Eastern Light has completed the first new fiber optic sea cable system between Sweden (Stockholm) and Finland (Utö, Hanko, Helsinki and Kotka) in more than a decade, shortening the fiber distance between Stockholm and Helsinki by 20%. The system has been operational since 2019 and along its entire length, the cable route is fully physically separated from existing cables and, in both countries, Eastern Light delivers its own fiber all the way into major data centers – end-to-end including the last mile – without any connectors and with an absolute minimum of splices.

Further build-out underway

In 2025 Eastern Light are in process of building Sweden-Finland II, as second fully diverse stretch from Stockholm to Helsinki. In the coming years, Eastern Light’s plans are to further expand its network in the Nordics, as outlined in this illustration. This is in order to meet the growing demand for modern and effective long-haul dark fiber connections in the region, and in particular to address the need for new, direct and seamless dark fiber routes between major data centers. The expansion preparations and planning – including the acquisition of land plots at key locations for sea cable landings and technical buildings – have been underway for several years. Eastern Light is currently in the process of determining the exact cable routes in active collaboration with customers and other stakeholders, and makes steady process in acquiring necessary permits both on land and at sea from landowners and authorities in the respective countries. Physical construction is initiated stepwise driven and prioritized by customer needs, one sub-project at a time.

For more information, please contact Eastern Light here.