As a result of reduced energy taxation policies, availability of renewable power resources and an abundance of brownfield and greenfield sites, Scandinavia has become a region of choice for hyperscalers seeking new locations to begin new data center construction. Though currently perceived as Tier 2 data center market, connectivity improvements are currently underway throughout the Nordic region as a growing number of enterprises seek low-latency connectivity to Western Europe and North America.
In response to increased connectivity demands to and from Scandinavia, Aqua Comms, the operator of Ireland’s first dedicated subsea fibre-optic network interconnecting New York, Dublin and London, is currently developing North Sea Connect, the first modern, high-capacity subsea cable system crossing the North Sea from Newcastle to Denmark. In addition, the company recently announced plans for continued investment in submarine cable infrastructure, joining the HAVFRUE consortium which will own and operate a new subsea cable system connecting New Jersey, U.S. to Ireland and Denmark with connectivity options to Norway. Together with existing cable systems, these new deployments will create a ring of connectivity that joins the hubs of the pan-Atlantic hyperscale data center industry in North America, Ireland and Scandinavia.
Accompanying these developments, Aqua Comms recently announced the addition of two key executives to its leadership team. Chris Bayly has been named Aqua Comms’ new Chief Commercial Office and Brad Kneller is the company’s Senior Global Vice President Operations and Engineering.
“As Aqua Comms continues to develop and invest in new subsea cable networks, including the North Sea Connect and HAVFRUE cable systems, the experience that Chris Bayly and Brad Kneller possess in the global telecom and submarine cable sectors will be an immense benefit to the commercialisation and delivery of our advanced subsea connectivity,” stated Nigel Bayliff, Chief Executive Officer, Aqua Comms. “Aqua Comms is entering a dynamic phase of growth, and the individual track records that Chris and Brad have demonstrated across both subsea and terrestrial systems lends great confidence in their abilities to deliver capacity-based network solutions and exceptional customer experience for carriers, content providers and the global media.”
With more than 25 years of senior executive experience, Chris will represent Aqua Comms’ subsea cable systems portfolio to the global telecom market as the company’s new CCO. Prior to joining Aqua Comms, Chris was the Director of Network Infrastructure at Colt Technology Services where he focused on large infrastructure opportunities and supported customers by delivering world-class solutions.
Bringing a wealth of expertise in both terrestrial and subsea networks to the Aqua Comms team, Brad joins as the new Senior Global Vice President Operations and Engineering. Brad was formerly the Head of Networks at Global Cloud Xchange where he led the operation of one of the world’s largest privately-owned subsea cable networks.
For more information about Aqua Comms, visit www.AquaComms.com or email media@aquacomms.com.
