Ulysses 2

Overview

Ulysses 2 is a short-haul submarine cable system connecting the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It spans a relatively narrow stretch of the North Sea, linking two of Europe's most well-connected coastal nations. The cable has been in service since 1997, making it one of the earlier systems in this corridor.

Route and Landings

In the Netherlands, Ulysses 2 lands at Ijmuiden, a coastal location on the North Sea coast west of Amsterdam. In the United Kingdom, the cable comes ashore at Lowestoft, on the Suffolk coast of eastern England.

Ownership and Operators

Ulysses 2 is owned by Verizon, the American telecommunications company with an extensive international network infrastructure portfolio.

Status and Timeline

Ulysses 2 entered service in 1997 and has now been operational for 29 years. It remains in service, connecting its two landing points across the southern North Sea.

Regional Context

The Netherlands–United Kingdom corridor is served by a range of submarine cable systems. The United Kingdom in particular hosts 42 submarine cables across 105 landing points, reflecting its position as one of Europe's most connected cable hubs. The Netherlands, while hosting fewer cables overall, has seen consistent submarine cable activity since 1997, the same year Ulysses 2 entered service.

Among regional peers, Ulysses 2 is notably older than most systems currently active in this corridor. Atlantic Crossing-1 (AC-1), which also lands in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, entered service just one year later in 1998. Longer-reach systems such as Apollo, EXA North and South, and the Europe India Gateway also land in the United Kingdom, though they serve considerably broader geographic routes.

Measured performance over the last 60 days across 77 ping tests shows an average round-trip latency of 19.2 ms, with a best recorded result of 14.3 ms, consistent with the short physical distance between Ijmuiden and Lowestoft.

Strategic Role

Ulysses 2 provides a direct subsea link between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom across the southern North Sea. With its two landing points at Ijmuiden and Lowestoft, the cable supports connectivity between these two countries independently of longer, transatlantic or intercontinental systems that also touch the United Kingdom. Its low measured latency reflects the modest geographic separation between its landing points.