Orange and partners plan Pisces subsea link between Ireland and mainland Europe
Orange, Equitix and MDM have formed a joint venture to build the 3,125km Pisces subsea cable connecting Galway with France, Spain and Portugal. The system will use 16 fibre pairs and include a new landing station in Sopelana, Spain. The partners say it will improve speed and reliability while offering an alternative route for data traffic between Ireland and continental Europe.
Orange, Equitix and MDM have created a joint venture for the Pisces system, appointing Carine Romanetti as chief executive of Pisces Cable System Limited. The route spans 3,125 kilometres and terminates in Galway, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Sopelana and Carcavelos.
The design includes sixteen fibre pairs and a newly built landing facility at Sopelana. According to the partners, the link is intended to add capacity, improve dependability and create a second path for traffic between Ireland and the European continent, with backing noted from the European Union.
The cable could affect people and businesses in Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal by making internet traffic less vulnerable to single-route failures. Faster, more reliable links may support cloud services, remote work, streaming and AI-related activity, while improved resilience could help keep communications running during outages. The main beneficiaries may be network operators, data centres and digital firms, though ordinary users could also see steadier service as capacity grows.