DANICE: Iceland-Denmark submarine cable
The DANICE cable is a submarine fiber optic system connecting Iceland to Denmark, with landing points at
Landeyjar in Iceland and
Blaabjerg in Denmark. Spanning approximately 2304 km, it is owned by Farice and has been in service since 2009, according to the GeoCables database. This cable plays a key role in linking Iceland to mainland Europe, facilitating data traffic for businesses, governments, and other entities.
What makes DANICE particularly interesting is the absence of publicly disclosed technical details such as design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology. This lack of transparency is unusual for a cable of its importance, making it challenging to assess its full capabilities. Additionally, live latency measurements show significant deviations from theoretical latency floors, raising questions about routing and equipment configurations.
Quick facts
| Name | DANICE |
| Length | 2304 km |
| Ready-for-service year | 2009 (GeoCables database) |
| Owner | Farice |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Blaabjerg (Denmark), Landeyjar (Iceland) |
Route
DANICE connects Blaabjerg, Denmark, to Landeyjar, Iceland. Blaabjerg is a hub for multiple submarine cables, including
CANTAT-3,
Havfrue/AEC-2,
IOEMA, and
IOEMA-1, making it a strategic location for data exchange with Europe. Landeyjar, Iceland, is also a landing point for the
Greenland Connect cable, which links Iceland to Greenland and North America. The route traverses the North Atlantic Ocean, a challenging environment for cable laying due to deep waters, variable seabed conditions, and harsh weather.
Why it was built and what it carries
DANICE was built to enhance Iceland's connectivity to mainland Europe, addressing the country's reliance on international data links for economic, scientific, and social activities. It supports a wide range of data traffic, including internet services, cloud computing, and international communications. Iceland's growing data center industry, powered by renewable energy, benefits significantly from the cable's presence, as it provides reliable connectivity for global clients.
History: what can be established
The GeoCables database lists DANICE as ready for service in 2009. Industry sources do not appear to contradict this date, suggesting general agreement on its operational timeline. Farice, the cable's owner, is a key player in Iceland's international connectivity, also operating other cables such as FARICE-1 and IRIS.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available information does not disclose the cable's design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or technology. Without operator documentation, attributing these specifications would be speculative. Given its importance, DANICE is likely equipped with modern optical technologies capable of supporting high data rates, but the exact figures remain unknown.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical one-way light propagation over 2304 km of fiber is approximately 11.3 ms, yielding a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 22.6 ms for the wet segment alone. Real-world measurements, however, show much higher latencies:
- Blaabjerg -> Landeyjar: min 44.5 ms, avg 63.7 ms
- Landeyjar -> Blaabjerg: min 51.9 ms, avg 53.6 ms
These discrepancies arise from additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing inefficiencies. For example, routing configurations may prioritize redundancy or cost over latency optimization. Measurements from other locations, such as Minsk and Sydney, further illustrate how latency compounds over extended internet paths.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If DANICE were to experience an outage, Iceland's connectivity to Europe would rely on alternative cables such as FARICE-1 and Havfrue/AEC-2. The Greenland Connect cable provides additional redundancy by linking Iceland to Greenland and North America. Repairing submarine cables typically involves locating the fault using specialized equipment, deploying a cable repair ship, and splicing the damaged section, a process that can take weeks depending on weather and fault location.
Bottom line
- DANICE is a 2304 km submarine cable connecting Iceland to Denmark, operational since 2009.
- Owned by Farice, it plays a key role in Iceland's international connectivity.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical latency is ≈ 22.6 ms RTT for the wet segment, but live measurements show higher values due to routing and equipment factors.
- Redundancy is provided by other cables in the region, including FARICE-1, Havfrue/AEC-2, and Greenland Connect.