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Antarctica’s data bottleneck: $620m cable to end ‘suitcases of hard drives’

A 4,100 km subsea fibre link across the Drake Passage could slash Antarctica’s reliance on physical data transport by.

Weihong Nguyen ·09:34
3 min read ANTARCTICA
Antarctica
Proposed 4,100 km subsea fibre cable route across the Drake Passage to connect Antarctica to southern Chile.

Antarctica could soon ditch its reliance on hard drives and satellites for scientific data transfer, thanks to a proposed 4,100-kilometre undersea fibre-optic cable across the Drake Passage. A feasibility study by Chile’s telecommunications regulator, Subtel, has confirmed the project is technically viable, though funding and international approvals remain hurdles. The ambitious plan would connect nine Antarctic landing points to southern Chile, serving research bases operated by Chile, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The proposed cable would change that. The larger cable option, costing an estimated $620…

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