Fastnet

Overview

The Fastnet is a submarine cable set to connect Ireland and the United States, with landing points at Castlefreke in Ireland and Ocean City, MD in the United States. The total length of the cable is unknown as of now.

Route and Landings

• Ireland: Castlefreke
• United States: Ocean City, MD

Ownership and Operators

The Fastnet is operated by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Status and Timeline

The Ready for Service (RFS) year for the Fastnet is 2028. The status of the cable is unknown.

Strategic Context

The corridor connecting Ireland and the United States serves as a direct fiber-optic path between these two countries, providing both primary data routing and redundancy options for neighboring cable systems. This transatlantic connection has been established through submarine cables since 1858, with the first telegraph cable laid between Ireland and Newfoundland.

Ireland, as a key player in Europe’s tech ecosystem, hosts several major data centers operated by leading cloud providers, including AWS. Telxius, the parent company of Amazon Web Services (AWS), is a subsidiary of Telefónica, one of Spain’s largest telecommunications companies, with operations spanning multiple countries in Europe and Latin America.

In the United States, Ocean City, MD, located on the eastern seaboard, serves as a significant hub for internet traffic and data centers. The region's proximity to major cities like Washington D.C. and Baltimore makes it an attractive location for cloud service providers looking to serve both government and enterprise clients. The establishment of such direct fiber-optic connections enhances the reliability and performance of AWS’s services in these regions, supporting its growing customer base.