Aurora

Overview

Aurora is a regional submarine cable system operating in the Baltic Sea, connecting Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. With a total length of 500 km, it serves intra-Baltic connectivity across these three neighboring countries. The cable is owned and operated by GlobalConnect, a Nordic telecommunications infrastructure provider.

Route and Landings

In Denmark, Aurora has landing points at Brondby, Hasle, Rønne, and Tejn. These landings span both the Danish mainland and the island of Bornholm.

In Germany, the cable lands at Sassnitz, located on the island of Rügen on the Baltic coast.

In Sweden, Aurora reaches a total of seven landing points: Borbby Strandbad, Byxelkrok, Farosund, Klagshamn, Näsby, Uto, and Visby. This concentration of Swedish landings reflects extensive coastal coverage along Sweden's Baltic shoreline, including the island of Gotland.

Ownership and Operators

Aurora is wholly owned by GlobalConnect, a Scandinavian telecommunications and infrastructure company operating across the Nordic and European markets. As a single-owner system, Aurora's operation and maintenance fall under GlobalConnect's direct management.

Status and Timeline

Aurora became ready for service in 2024, making it one of the more recently commissioned cable systems in the Baltic Sea region.

Strategic Context

The Baltic Sea hosts a range of submarine cable systems of varying scale and purpose. Aurora, at 500 km, is a shorter regional system compared to long-distance cables such as Atlantic Crossing-1 (14,301 km, RFS 1998) and Havfrue/AEC-2 (7,650 km, RFS 2020), which serve transatlantic routes. Within the Baltic corridor specifically, Aurora is more closely comparable in scale to cables such as Havhingsten/North Sea Connect (661 km, RFS 2022) and STO-HEL-One (560 km, RFS 2008). The forthcoming N0r5ke Viking 2, involving Sweden and expected in 2028, will add further capacity to the region. Recent latency measurements on Aurora recorded an average round-trip time of 58.8 ms over 129 ping tests, with a best recorded result of 5.9 ms.

The region hosts several submarine cable systems that support data transmission across the area, including Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.

The country's extensive fiber network and advanced submarine cable infrastructure make it a hub for regional connectivity. Sweden, known for its strong technological sector and innovation ecosystem, relies on reliable submarine connections to maintain its digital infrastructure.

The distribution of Aurora's landing points across Denmark, Germany, and Sweden supports multi-point connectivity within a geographically fragmented Baltic coastline. The density of Swedish landings in particular supports connectivity to island communities and coastal areas that are otherwise dependent on limited terrestrial infrastructure. This cable system is positioned as a contemporary addition to an established set of cables serving this intra-Baltic corridor, enhancing the region's digital landscape.