IOEMA: A planned North Sea submarine cable
The IOEMA submarine cable is a forthcoming high-capacity fiber-optic system designed to connect five countries bordering the North Sea: Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany. Spanning 1620 kilometers, the cable is expected to enhance connectivity across this region, linking major landing points such as
Blaabjerg,
Broadstairs, and
Kristiansand. The project is owned by IOEMA Fibre and remains in the planning phase, with its ready-for-service (RFS) date recorded as 2028 in GeoCables data.
What makes IOEMA noteworthy is its potential to integrate with an already dense network of submarine cables in the North Sea corridor, which is a critical hub for European telecommunications. However, many technical details about the cable, such as its design capacity, fiber count, and supplier, are not publicly disclosed. This leaves room for speculation about its technological specifications and exact role in the region's connectivity landscape.
Quick facts
| Name | IOEMA |
| Length | 1620 km |
| Ready-for-service year | 2028 (GeoCables database) |
| Owners | IOEMA Fibre |
| Status | Planned - not yet in operation |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Blaabjerg, Broadstairs, Domburg, Eemshaven, Houstrup, Kristiansand, Leiston, Lowestoft, The Hague, Wilhelmshaven |
🗺 Show IOEMA on the interactive cable map
Route
The IOEMA cable will traverse the North Sea, connecting ten landing points in Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany. Key landings include Blaabjerg and Houstrup in Denmark, Broadstairs and Lowestoft in the UK, Domburg and The Hague in the Netherlands, Kristiansand in Norway, and Wilhelmshaven in Germany. These locations are already part of a vibrant network of submarine cables, including
Havfrue/AEC-2,
COBRAcable, and Havhingsten/North Sea Connect. This dense corridor underscores the strategic importance of the North Sea for European data traffic.
Why it was built and what it carries
The IOEMA cable is being developed to meet growing demand for bandwidth and improved connectivity between North Sea countries. The region is a critical junction for international data traffic, serving as a link between continental Europe, the UK, and Scandinavia. While the cable's specific design capacity and technological features are not disclosed, its construction aligns with industry trends prioritizing low-latency, high-capacity systems to support cloud services, data centers, and international telecommunications.
History: what can be established
GeoCables data records the IOEMA cable's ready-for-service date as 2028, reflecting its status as a planned project. Publicly available sources do not provide alternative dates, nor do they document significant milestones such as the signing of contracts, surveys, or manufacturing. This lack of information makes it difficult to trace the project's progress or corroborate its timeline. Industry sources occasionally report discrepancies in RFS dates for planned cables, which can result from delays in permitting, construction, or financing. However, no such conflicting information is currently available for IOEMA.
Capacity and technology
No information is available regarding the IOEMA cable's design capacity, fiber pairs, or supplier. Without operator documentation, attributing specific technical features would be speculative. If the cable follows industry norms, it may incorporate advanced wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technologies and high fiber counts to support terabit-scale capacity. However, details remain undisclosed.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical latency calculations for the IOEMA cable indicate a one-way light propagation time of approximately 7.9 milliseconds over the 1620 km wet segment. This translates to a theoretical round-trip time (RTT) floor of 15.9 milliseconds, assuming ideal conditions and light speeds of 200,000 to 204,000 km/s in fiber. However, real-world latency will be higher due to additional factors such as signal processing delays, terrestrial routing, and terminal equipment.
Live latency measurements from remote probes, as provided in the GeoCables database, do not directly reflect the IOEMA cable's performance, as the cable is not yet operational. Some recorded values, such as the Moscow to Broadstairs minimum of 9.3 ms, fall below the physical RTT floor and are flagged as measurement artifacts, likely caused by rate-limited ICMP replies from intermediate routers. These artifacts should not be interpreted as representative of the cable's future latency.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
The IOEMA cable will join a crowded North Sea corridor, where multiple submarine cables already provide connectivity. In the event of a failure, traffic can be rerouted via alternative systems such as Havfrue/AEC-2, COBRAcable, Havhingsten/North Sea Connect, and others. Repairs to submarine cables typically involve specialized vessels equipped with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to locate and fix faults. While repair timelines vary, redundancy in the region ensures that disruptions are mitigated.
Bottom line
- IOEMA is a planned 1620 km submarine cable connecting Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany.
- Its ready-for-service date is recorded as 2028, with no publicly documented alternative timelines.
- Technical specifications such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier are not disclosed.
- Theoretical latency over the wet segment is approximately 15.9 ms RTT, though real-world latency will be higher.
- Redundancy in the North Sea corridor ensures alternative routes in case of cable failure.