Scottish, Norwegian Data Centers Linked by Fast North Sea Fiber

By Ben Sullivan

Data centers that link the oil hotspots of Stavanger, Norway, and Aberdeen, Scotland, will now use a new high speed fiber-optic Internet connection to work with each other.

The move comes from the partnership between Aberdeen’s Internet For Business (IFB) and Norway’s Green Mountain, along with network provider Tampnet providing the fiber backbone to deliver the connection between the data centers.

Faster Speeds Than Between Aberdeen and London

The project will reportedly provide faster speeds between the two countries than between Aberdeen and London, and was created to cater for demands for a more cost-effective solution to connect the cities.

The project will see IFB use Tampnet’s North Sea fiber infrastructure, connecting IFB’s Aberdeen data center to Green Mountain’s Stavanger data center.

Graeme Gordon, IFB’s chief executive, said: “We have seen a growing demand for improved connectivity to Norway, particularly from oil and gas businesses, and this is why we approached Tampnet and Green Mountain to create a solution.

“The design of the network will provide IFB’s clients with incredible connection speeds which are faster than those between Aberdeen and London.

“In addition to the increased connection speed and reliability, the link is much more cost-effective than the existing expensive point-to-point private line International Circuits.”

The project, which uses Tampnet’s North Sea infrastructure, will operate across 2,500 km of subsea fiber optics.

Tampnet sales director Trygve Hagevik, said: “We are very excited that IFB has chosen the shortest and fastest route across the North Sea for its backup site at Green Mountain Data Centre located on the west coast of Norway.

“The Tampnet North Sea infrastructure, operating across more than 2,500km of subsea fiber, offers unsurpassed transit services between Scandinavia and U.K.

“With the key roles played by cities like Aberdeen and Stavanger, the infrastructure is particularly compelling to the oil and gas industry.”