Finland Estonia Connection 2 (FEC-2)

Overview

Finland Estonia Connection 2 (FEC-2) is a submarine cable system linking Estonia and Finland across the Gulf of Finland. The cable provides a direct connection between the two countries and is owned and operated by Elisa Corporation, a Finnish telecommunications company.

Route and Landings

In Estonia, FEC-2 has three landing points: Kärdla, Kihelkonna, and Meremöisa. These landings are distributed across the Estonian coastline, providing multiple points of connectivity on the Estonian side of the Gulf of Finland.

In Finland, the cable lands at three locations: Espoo, Hamnäs, and Hanko. These sites span Finland's southern coast, connecting the cable to the Finnish mainland at geographically spread intervals.

Ownership and Operators

FEC-2 is owned solely by Elisa Corporation. Elisa is a Finnish telecommunications and digital services company operating across Finland and Estonia, making it a natural operator of cross-Gulf connectivity infrastructure.

Status and Timeline

FEC-2 entered service in 2000, establishing a submarine link between Estonia and Finland at the turn of the millennium. The cable remains in service today.

Regional Context

The Gulf of Finland corridor hosts several submarine cable systems. FEC-2 entered service in the same year as BCS North – Phase 2 and predates later additions such as STO-HEL-One (RFS 2008) and C-Lion1 (RFS 2016). Two further cables, Mjolner East and Mjolner West, are planned for service in 2027, indicating continued investment in this corridor. FEC-2 is notable within this group for its six landing points, with three on each national coastline, distributing connectivity across both shores of the Gulf.

Measured round-trip latency through FEC-2 averages 20.3 ms over recent testing, with a best recorded result of 6.0 ms, reflecting the short geographic distance across the Gulf of Finland.

Strategic Role

With three landing points in each of Estonia and Finland, FEC-2 distributes submarine connectivity across a broader stretch of coastline than a single-endpoint cable would allow. This geographic spread, combined with the short crossing distance of the Gulf of Finland, supports direct telecommunications links between the two countries. Operating under single ownership by Elisa Corporation, the cable serves as a dedicated bilateral connection within a corridor that continues to attract new submarine cable investment.