Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I

Overview

Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I is a regional submarine cable system connecting Finland and Sweden across the Baltic Sea corridor. Owned and operated by Eastern Light, the cable links multiple landing points in Finland with a landing in Sweden, supporting connectivity between these two neighboring Nordic countries.

Route and Landings

In Finland, the cable lands at three locations: Hanko, Helsinki, and Kotka. These three points distribute the cable's connectivity across the southern Finnish coastline.

In Sweden, the cable has a single landing point at Stockholm, the country's capital and a major hub for telecommunications infrastructure.

Ownership and Operators

Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I is wholly owned by Eastern Light, which holds sole responsibility for the cable system's operation and maintenance.

Status and Timeline

The cable entered service in 2019 and has been operational for approximately seven years. No end-of-service date has been announced.

Regional Context

The Finland–Sweden corridor is served by several submarine cable systems spanning a range of vintages and lengths. Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I sits alongside established systems such as STO-HEL-One, which has been in service since 2008, and BCS North - Phase 1, dating to 1998, as well as newer additions including Aurora and upcoming systems such as Mjolner East and N0r5ke Viking 2. Within this active corridor, Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I contributes an additional path between the two countries, with Finland hosting 12 submarine cables across 11 landing points and Sweden hosting 17 cables across 20 landing points.

Performance measurements recorded over the last 60 days, based on 42 ping tests conducted through the cable, show an average round-trip latency of 7.7 ms, with a best recorded result of 6.9 ms. These figures reflect the relatively short maritime distance between the southern Finnish coast and Stockholm.

Strategic Role

By landing at three distinct points along Finland's southern coast — Hanko, Helsinki, and Kotka — Eastern Light Sweden-Finland I provides geographic diversity for traffic crossing between Finland and Sweden. The multi-point Finnish landing configuration allows for traffic distribution across different coastal nodes rather than concentrating capacity at a single location, which contributes to resilience within the bilateral connectivity architecture of this Nordic corridor.