Polar Express

A project for the construction of a transarctic submarine fiber-optic communication line from Murmansk to Vladivostok

The unique project of a transarctic submarine fiber-optic communication line (FOCL). The new system includes 6 pairs of optical fibers with a capacity of 52–104 Tbt/sec and total length of 12,650 km. The project will connect Murmansk to Vladivostok along the shortest route from Europe to Asia and create an alternative to satellite communication systems in northern latitudes, minimizing the level of delay in transmission of information. The project will help to meet the growing needs of online commerce, cloud technologies and big data by providing reliable, affordable connectivity and Internet access.

Polar Express will enable the development of the port infrastructure along the North Sea Route and the creation digital infrastructure in the Arctic region.

The project is being rolled out in accordance with the President’s decree on the “Development strategy of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring national security until the year 2035”.

Infrustructual

Economic

Development of port infrastructure along the Northern sea route (NSR).
Creating a digital infrastructure for the production and transportation of hydrocarbons (oil, gas etc.) in the Arctic region, resolving the problems of geological exploration.
Saving and maintenance of the environment, introduction of preservation technologies for the Northern regions.
Providing an alternative to satellite communications for Northern latitudes, developing the synergy of FOCL network and satellite networks (Iridium, Inmarsat 10GX, Express RV, etc.).
Development of digital data center infrastructure for Big Data in the Russian Federation.
Introduction and expansion of production capacities for high-tech equipment during the project implementation.

To provide the geographically shortest route to ensure the transit of telecommunications traffic between Europe, Asia and America, which has no analogues in the modern infrastructure of FOCL, and thus minimize the level of delay in the transmission of information.
To meet the growing international demand for the backbone fiber optic networks in the context of digitalization of the world economy, the development of «big data» technologies, e-Commerce and the «Internet of things», and as a result, the exponential growth of international IP traffic on routes: Europe-Russia / Europe – Asia / America – Asia.
To expand the international infrastructure of the existing fiber-optic cable network by establishing the new FOCL with creating data centers in areas that allow, among other things, to minimize effects on the Earth's ecosystem.
To provide direct «connectivity» for customers that have certain requirements for the level of delay and security of data transmission (e-Commerce, technologies of unmanned transport systems, 5G / 6G, quantum communications, etc.).

State customer

;
Contractor-developer

;
Operator

;
Main Contracting organization

;

2022y

Teriberka

Murmansk Oblast

Population (2020): 573

Teriberka is a rural locality (a selo) in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Barents Sea coast, at the mouth of the river Teriberka.

2022y

Amderma

Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Population (2017): 577

Amderma (lit. a walrus rookery in Nenets) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Zapolyarny District of Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the coast of Kara Sea, near the Vaygach Island.

2025y

Dikson

Krasnoyarsk Krai

Population (2020): 529

Dikson is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Dikson is the northernmost port in Russia, one of the world's northernmost settlements and the northernmost settlement on the Asian continent.

2025y

Tiksi

Yakutia

Population (2021): 4 745

Tiksi (lit. a moorage place) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Bulunsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the shore of the Buor-Khaya Gulf of the Laptev Sea, southeast of the delta of the Lena River.

2026y

Pevek

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Population (2021): 4 513

Pevek is an Arctic port town and the administrative center of Chaunsky District in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on Chaunskaya Bay (part of the East Siberian Sea) on a peninsula on the eastern side of the bay facing the Routan Islands, above the Arctic Circle, about 640 kilometers (400 mi) northwest of Anadyr, the administrative center of the autonomous okrug.

2026y

Anadyr

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Population (2021): 15 240

Anadyr is the easternmost town in Russia and the administrative center of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug located at the mouth of the Anadyr River at the tip of a peninsula that protrudes into Anadyrsky Liman.

2026y

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

Kamchatka Krai

Population (2018): 181 216

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia.

2026y

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Sakhalin Oblast

Population (2021): 200 235

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city in Sakhalin island, and the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is located in the Far East part of Russia, situated north of Japan.

2026y

Vladivostok

Primorsky Krai

Population (2021): 600 871

Vladivostok is the largest city and the administrative centre of Primorsky Krai and the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan.

The marine section of the ARCTIC FOCL is implemented using a specialized submarine cable. The cable has six pairs of optical fibers (OF) and a conductive element for powering underwater optical amplifiers.

Pairs of optical fibers will be distributed as follows:

two pairs of OF for direct communication on the main section of the FOCL “Murmansk-Vladivostok” with a length of 12650 km;
two pairs of OF for the organization of four independent branches to intermediate objects at the landing points: Amderma, Dixon, Tiksi, Pevek, Anadyr, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
two pairs of OF for the organization of a backbone reserve for the future development of the entire communication network.

Parameters SFOC

12650

Length
(km)
1.5m

buried
into the seabed
150

underwater optical amplifiers
(repeaters)
Up to104

Capacity
(Tbt/sec)
2026

project implementation
period

To implement the project, the Contractor engages a fleet of specialized technical vessels that perform marine surveys, necessary hydrographic and hydrological studies, and underwater technical work, including clearing the route and laying a fiber-optic communication line with sinking into the ground. Bringing lines to the shore, as well as overcoming other natural or infrastructural barriers are performed using the technology of horizontal directional drilling.

The technical fleet consists of:

2 special purpose vessels (cable-lying vessels);
2 support vessels;
2 research vessels;
1 multi-purpose vessel;
1 tug;
1 boat for diving operations.

The submarine cable network infrastructure comprises a number of Cable Landing Stations (CLS), in which the equipment of the fiber optic cable structure is stored and operated. Each CLS includes:

this module is allocated for installation of data transmission and terminating systems, terrestrial and submarine cable monitoring, management and control systems.

this module is allocated for installation of high voltage power feed of the submarine cable system. This module provides the receipt, automatic stabilization and the required voltage conversion of the external power feed and includes rechargeable batteries enabling a guaranteed power supply of the CLS of no less than 6 hours.

this module is allocated for installation of the diesel generator units providing backup power feeding for all CLS’s equipment in the case of external blackout. Each of these modules is equipped with two emergency fuel tanks of 1000 liters each, which can enable the autonomous operation of the CLS of no less than 10 days.

this module is allocated for spare and repairing parts storage.

Global climate change affects all inhabitants of the planet, regardless of where they live. The level of the world’s oceans is rising, making natural phenomena such as droughts, floods and hurricanes increasingly threatening. As a result, the economy suffers, which ultimately affects the quality of people’s life.

The implementation of the Polar Express project will bring to the Arctic region the opportunity to use the latest achievements in science and technology, including energy-saving technologies, and thereby reduce the negative consequences of the man-made environmental impact.

The development of backbone communication networks is a new trade route in the digital economy. Digitalization and changes in the global economic climate are becoming the foundation for change and the engine for digital development in Asia and the Russian Federation, along with Europe and North America.

New rise in the fiber-optic cable line market segment

After the “dot-com market boom” of the 1990s, which triggered the first big investments into the segment of the submarine fiber-optic cable market, today there is a “boom of Tech Giants” (such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook etc.) which are started actively investing into Submarine Fiber-Optic cable lines infrastructure.
The need for capacity

The development of Tech Giants – i.e. content providers, Internet companies, online trading platforms, and, as a result, the growing need for «big data» and the Internet of Things (IoT) represent a significant annual growth in international IP traffic, as well as dictate the need to connect new data centers and redistribute traffic via new routes.
Geography

The emergence of new regional participants (Asia, Europe, etc.), the global infrastructure, a distributed network of backbone telecommunications aggregators (hubs) dictate new requirements for the infrastructure of backbone networks, including underwater and ground segments.
New and promising technologies

The introduction of 5G, the development and application of quantum communications for the set-up of secure networks (secure Internet), e-Commerce and e-Trading impose new demands on the performance and capacity of trunk channels.
Limitations

Additional restrictions due to national cyber security issues (for example, in October 2019, the US Department of Justice opposed the project of Google, Facebook Inc. and a Chinese company to lay a US-Hong Kong cable).
The need for diversification due to network failures

Existing cable networks are becoming outdated, which has led to a large number of breakages in recent years. With cable networks currently unable to cope with the actual flow of data, many consumers show a strong need for diversity.

Iceberg
Arctic
Volcanoes of Kamchatka
Tokarevskiy Lighthouse
Polar bear
Northern lights in Arctic
Teriberka, the Barents Sea coast

Polar Express project was presented at the International Exhibition "Transport of Russia"

18Nov

2022

Morsviazsputnik

During the official bypass of the exhibition, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev paid special attention to Polar Express project and the progress of its implementation, which was presented by the head of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport Zakhary Dzhioev.

First section of FOLC Polar Express was commissioned

27Oct

2022

Morsviazsputnik

The first section of Polar Express with a length of more than 1230 km from Teriberka, Murmansk Region, to Amderma, Nenets Autonomous Area was commissioned in October 2022. A large amount of research and preparatory work was carried out. Laying of a transarctic submarine fiber-optic communication line (FOLC) Murmansk - Vladivostok - Polar Express, in the Arctic conditions was carried out by specialized cable laying vessels of the principle contractor - JSC "Perspective Technologies Agency." The technical readiness of the first section of the communication line.

14Jul

2022

Morsviazsputnik

The document was signed by the Governor-Chairman of the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Area Roman Kopin and Morsviazsputnik General Director Andrey Kuropyatnikov.

News

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