Arctic Telecommunications and Data Infrastructure: Quintillion’s Solution for North America

Broadband connectivity is a prerequisite for economic growth, education, national security, and the provision of public services in the COVID-19 era. Yet many communities throughout the North American Arctic lack reliable, affordable, and redundant internet access. Insufficient telecommunications and data infrastructure affect critical defense and homeland security assets and missions, while Chinese and Russian investments in the Arctic continue to grow. The region’s dynamic social, environmental, and political landscape requires more advanced, secure telecommunication and data infrastructure.

On Monday, December 14^th, please join Polar Institute Director Mike Sfraga for a virtual armchair discussion assessing one company's efforts to enhance telecommunications infrastructure in the Arctic. Quintillion is the owner and operator of the only subsea fiber optic cable system in the North American Arctic. The company's vision includes an expansion connecting Japan to London with Alaska at the fulcrum, as well as key landings in Iceland and Thule Air Force Base in Greenland that have the promise of supporting a broad range of civil, federal, and military needs.