Plans for a vital new undersea data cable linking Britain to Norway have been revealed amid the rising security threat posed by Russia to Britain’s critical national infrastructure.
VodafoneThree is exploring a new high-speed connection between mainland Scotland, Shetland and Norway in a move that could strengthen UK defences against disruption to its communications networks.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting today welcomed the proposals, warning that Britain’s adversaries are increasingly targeting undersea cables that carry internet traffic and enable financial transactions.
The announcement comes just weeks after the government outlined new emergency powers to protect Britain’s subsea cables over rising fears of Russian interference [1].
Reports last month suggested Putin has been sending fishing trawlers to spy on the UK’s undersea cable network, with Nato tracking Russian civilian vessels in British waters [2].
This month, the Royal Navy revealed its warships tracked a Russian frigate through The Channel while two helicopters monitored a Russian intelligence-gathering ship in the Outer Hebrides [3].
Streeting said: “Protecting our network of undersea cables is vital to keeping our country safe. Our adversaries are increasingly targeting our critical national infrastructure, including the cables that carry data and enable internet traffic and financial transactions.
“This is a very welcome step that could not only improve connectivity and boost our economy, especially in Scotland, but strengthen the UK’s national resilience, prevent disruption, and keep us all safe.”
The proposed UK-Norway digital corridor could also deliver up to £8.2billion in additional economic output over ten years after the cable becomes operational.
And it could protect as much as £6.6million of UK economic activity for every day of severe disruption affecting multiple existing routes where data traffic cannot be diverted.
Subsea cables carry 98 per cent of international data traffic, making them essential to Britain’s economy, public services and defence capabilities.
Damage to the cables can disrupt businesses, telecommunications networks and other organisations that depend on continuous access to digital services.
The Government has identified coordinated disruption to critical undersea infrastructure as a growing national security risk.
VodafoneThree believes a new northern route could provide an important alternative connection, making Britain’s digital infrastructure more resilient to disruption.
The company will begin a feasibility study in summer 2027 to examine potential routes linking mainland Scotland with Shetland and onward to Norway.
It will also explore how the connection could support defence operations, critical national infrastructure, businesses, public services and data centres.
Nick Gliddon, Business Director at VodafoneThree, said: “Reliable international connectivity is vital to the UK’s defence, strengthening our resilience to disruption and enhancing the security of the critical infrastructure on which our economy and public services depend. Norway is a strategically important partner, with a shared commitment to protecting infrastructure across the North Atlantic.
“A new digital corridor would strengthen the physical links between our countries, add vital route diversity and support secure, resilient connectivity for critical infrastructure on both sides of the North Sea. It could also unlock investment in data centres and AI, creating skilled jobs and wider economic opportunities. This study will help establish the economic and strategic case for the route and identify the partnerships needed to deliver it.”The security benefits could be particularly significant for Shetland, where connectivity currently depends on a single cable system.
The announcement builds on VodafoneThree’s now-completed feasibility study into a high-speed subsea cable connecting Shetland with mainland Scotland.
For Shetland, a separate cable route could provide vital resilience where connectivity currently depends on a single cable system, with outages in 2022 and 2025 exposing the lack of an effective alternative when it fails.
The new study will identify potential routes from Shetland to Norway, as well as possible landing points and delivery partners in the Bergen region.
Extending the route to Norway could improve connectivity for island communities and businesses, add resilience for Shetland Spaceport and other strategically important sites, and support future economic opportunities, including potential data-centre development.
VodafoneThree’s £11 billion network investment will support up to 13,000 jobs at the peak of its 5G Standalone (SA) network build. A new UK-Norway subsea cable via Shetland would help extend the benefits of that investment to the islands, supporting next-generation connectivity, unlocking wider economic opportunities and strengthening the resilience of critical digital infrastructure.
Strengthening digital security and resilience
Subsea cables carry 98% of international data traffic and are essential to modern economies. Damage or disruption can affect businesses, public services and organisations that depend on continuous access to digital services.
VodafoneThree will examine how a new route from mainland Scotland to Shetland and onwards to Norway could increase route diversity, support the secure movement of data and help defence, data centres, telecommunications networks and other CNI maintain essential services during disruption.
Building a stronger digital corridor between the UK and Norway
The study comes amid deepening UK-Norway cooperation on defence, security, energy and critical infrastructure. In December 2024, the two countries agreed a strategic partnership covering defence and security, energy and the green transition, alongside closer cooperation to protect subsea and offshore infrastructure across the North Atlantic.
The proposed digital corridor would explore a complementary opportunity to strengthen the infrastructure connecting the two countries. VodafoneThree wants to build the commercial partnerships needed to make the route viable, bringing together UK and Norwegian expertise across telecommunications, data centres, technology and infrastructure. These partnerships could support cross-border investment, innovation and skilled employment while improving the long-term resilience of essential digital and defence-related services.
Norway is emerging as a major location for AI data-centre investment, supported by its abundant renewable hydropower and cooler climate, which can reduce the energy required for cooling. A new direct link to Scotland would provide additional international route diversity and strengthen the resilience of Norway’s digital infrastructure, while creating new capacity to support the country’s growing AI economy. It would also be the first new direct subsea cable between Scotland and Norway in around a quarter of a century.
