SEA-SPINE: High-Speed Submarine Backbone for Islands of the Aegean Sea

Why It Matters

The backbone will close the digital divide for Aegean islands, driving economic growth and strengthening network resilience across the region.

Key Takeaways

• Seven new submarine links will connect 11 Aegean islands
• Project adds 563 km of undersea cable, 232 km land fiber
• Enables standalone 5G/6G, cloud, tele‑medicine, distance learning services
• Provides alternative routes, boosting network resilience and redundancy
• Co‑funding fills gap, crucial for islands lacking any network

Summary

The CPIN (Connectivity for the Islands of the North) project aims to lay a high‑speed submarine backbone linking eleven Greek islands across the northern, central and southern Aegean Sea.

The plan calls for seven new undersea fiber‑optic cables spanning roughly 563 km, complemented by about 232 km of terrestrial fiber to tie each island into existing mainland nodes. By dramatically expanding capacity and redundancy, the network will support standalone 5G and future 6G deployments as well as cloud‑based applications, distance‑learning platforms and tele‑medicine services.

Officials highlighted that several islands currently have no reliable broadband at all, noting that the new routes will also serve as alternative paths for domestic and international traffic, enhancing overall resilience. The project’s funding model relies on co‑funding from EU and national sources to bridge a substantial financial gap.

For businesses and residents, the infrastructure promises faster, more reliable connectivity, unlocking digital economies, attracting tourism, and reducing the risk of service outages during emergencies.

Original Description

This video presents the SEA-SPINE project, an initiative to strengthen digital connectivity across 11 Greek islands in the Aegean Sea through the deployment of new subsea and terrestrial fibre infrastructure. The project involves the construction of 7 new underwater fibre optic cables, covering 563 km at sea and 232 km on land, to improve the capacity, resilience and flexibility of backbone networks in a geographically challenging island region. By reinforcing connectivity between the islands and mainland networks, SEA-SPINE will support better mobile and fixed broadband services, lower latency for critical applications, and more reliable digital infrastructure for local communities. The project was co-financed by the CEF Digital Programme.

This video is part of the European Broadband Competence Offices Network’s programme promoting awareness of good practices in broadband projects and EU digital connectivity initiatives.

Find out more on the BCO Network:

http://www.bconetwork.eu

See more videos in the series:

http://videos.bconetwork.eu

About CEF Digital:

https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/cef-digital

Connecting Europe Facility (general):

https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/connecting-europe-facility_en