FARICE-1

Overview

FARICE-1 is a submarine cable system spanning 1,205 km that connects the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. It serves the North Atlantic corridor between the British Isles and the Nordic island territories, providing a direct link among these three countries.

Route and Landings

In the Faroe Islands, the cable lands at Funningsfjordur. In Iceland, the landing point is Seydisfjordur, located on the country's eastern coast. In the United Kingdom, the cable comes ashore at Dunnet Bay, situated at the northern tip of mainland Scotland.

Ownership and Operators

FARICE-1 is owned by Farice, a company established to develop and operate submarine cable connectivity for Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Status and Timeline

FARICE-1 entered service in 2004 and has now been operational for approximately 22 years. It connects three countries across a relatively compact North Atlantic route.

Regional Context

The cable links three distinct jurisdictions — the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the United Kingdom — within a North Atlantic corridor that is otherwise served primarily by much longer intercontinental systems. Regional peers such as Apollo, Atlantic Crossing-1, and EXA North and South are all trans-Atlantic cables exceeding 12,000 km, while 2Africa and Europe India Gateway reach considerably further. At 1,205 km, FARICE-1 is longer than 71% of the other cables touching these same countries, reflecting its specialized coverage of a geographically remote sub-region. Measured performance over the past 60 days recorded an average round-trip latency of 54.3 ms across 65 ping tests, with a best recorded result of 4.1 ms.

Strategic Role

FARICE-1 provides direct submarine cable connectivity between the Faroe Islands and Iceland on one side and the United Kingdom on the other. For both the Faroe Islands and Iceland — each served by only two submarine cables landing at two landing points — FARICE-1 represents one of the foundational links in their international connectivity. The United Kingdom, by contrast, hosts 42 submarine cables across 105 landing points, making Dunnet Bay one of many entry points along the British coastline. The cable's North Atlantic routing and its links to two island territories with limited cable diversity give it a specific and well-defined role in connecting these communities to broader European networks.