BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//pretalx//pretalx.balticnog.org//bnog-2026//R8DAXZ
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:EET
BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20000101T000000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=1;UNTIL=19991231T220000Z
TZNAME:EET
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20011028T050000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10
TZNAME:EET
TZOFFSETFROM:+0300
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20010325T040000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3
TZNAME:EEST
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0300
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:pretalx-bnog-2026-G7UCNM@pretalx.balticnog.org
DTSTART;TZID=EET:20260924T093000
DTEND;TZID=EET:20260924T102500
DESCRIPTION:Europe’s digital infrastructure evolves to meet growing deman
 ds for resilience and digital sovereignty\, to ensure resources for AI\, c
 loud computing\, research\, and secure international connectivity\, the im
 portance of geographically diverse network routes has never been more impo
 rtant. The Polar Connect Initiative is aiming to establish a resilient\, h
 igh-capacity digital backbone through the Central Arctic Ocean\, providing
  secure and sovereign connectivity between Europe\, North America and East
  Asia\, along the shortest viable route. \nThe Arctic may seem geographica
 lly distant from the Baltic region\, however the Polar Connect submarine f
 ibre cable route presents significant benefits for Northern Europe backbon
 e network development. This new connectivity through the Arctic region pos
 itions the Nordic and Baltic countries as an international digital gateway
  between Europe and East Asia\, creating additional opportunities for traf
 fic exchange and interconnection\, increase resilience for existing backbo
 ne networks\, and support future growth opportunities for data centres\, c
 loud services\, and research infrastructure.\nThis presentation will provi
 de an update on the latest progress of the Polar Connect Initiative\, incl
 uding pre-marine surveys from the latest mission of summer 2026\, technica
 l feasibility studies\, and the level of international collaboration requi
 red to achieve this one-of-a kind project. The talk will also map how the 
 initiative fits within the broader European strategy for digital resilienc
 e\, the Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEI)\, and the Digital Globa
 l Gateway.\nRather than viewing Polar Connect as yet another submarine fib
 re cable\, the presentation will focus on the opportunities for a new stra
 tegic layer of European digital infrastructure and what this means for ope
 rators\, carriers\, and infrastructure providers across the Baltic and Nor
 dic region.
DTSTAMP:20260920T202444Z
LOCATION:ROOM ALFA
SUMMARY:Polar Connect: Opportunities with the New Arctic Connectivity Corri
 dor - Ieva Muraškienė
URL:https://pretalx.balticnog.org/bnog-2026/talk/G7UCNM/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR
