The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition: A central point of contact for submarine cable landings in the Netherlands

Contributed Article The centrally located Netherlands is well-known as an important digital hub. There is a tremendous density of datacenters, a strong digital economy and an excellent digital infrastructure, both by sea and by land to the European hinterland. With its world-class connectivity and strategic position, the country offers unparalleled opportunities for digital infrastructure development. The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition* aims to foster international collaboration and emphasize and further strengthen the Dutch position as a digital hub. Unique support for landing sea cables in the Netherlands The coalition is a unique public-private partnership with top-level partners from the business community, infrastructure, datacenters, wholesale end users, knowledge institutions and different levels of government. The coalition supports new cable initiatives by sharing knowledge about the Dutch ecosystem, connecting with relevant parties and offering support for navigating the regulatory and licensing system in the Netherlands. The coalition is committed to guiding landing parties every step of the way and is the first stop to getting support in navigating the Dutch landscape en-route to a successful landing of a subsea cable in the Netherlands. 2024: A milestone year for the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition 2024 was a very productive year for the coalition. First off, all Dutch coastal provinces joined the coalition, thereby providing direct lines to all relevant governmental organizations, wherever subsea cables wish to land in the Netherlands.  Besides strengthening the support and reach of the coalition internally, there are also exciting developments internationally. Martin Prins, the ambassador of the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, says: ‘We are currently working on cable routes with various consortia. Off course we are supporting the IOEMA initiative, which is planned to land on two locations on the Dutch coast. We connect them with the relevant people, whether that is with government authorities for permitting procedures or market parties for collaboration.’ Furthermore, the coalition is currently in advanced talks with entities from several other European countries to develop a means to collaborate on a new, extensive and unique cable system. Stay informed by finding Dutch Coalition members at events such as Submarine Networks, connecting through email or signing up for our Webinar later this year. Further streamlining and lowering the threshold for landing in the Netherlands In addition to directly assisting international consortia, the coalition is also actively working on projects in the Netherlands that make landing simpler and more attractive. In the first quarter of 2025 a special ‘service counter’ will be launched by the Dutch Enterprise Agency, commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. All consortia interested in landing in the Netherlands can connect to one project guide who will be their point of contact and help in centrally coordinating permitting processes. By integrally instead of sequentally pursuing permits, this unique service will significantly reduce the processing times for permitting applications. Peter van Burgel, CEO of AMS-IX: “The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is undertaking significant steps in further facilitating submarine cable systems to the Netherlands. We are happy that we are actively collaborating on further strengthening the leading position of the Netherlands as digital hub and digital gateway to Europe.” The Dutch government is ‘future-focused and supportive’ Landing and properly maintaining sea cables is also on the political agenda. The Dutch government realizes emphasizes that the digital infrastructure, including maritime cables, should not be taken for granted. It requires continuous efforts from both companies and the government to keep the digital infrastructure innovative, high-quality, affordable, resilient, safe, sustainable and attractive for investors. “The Dutch government’s plan is to invest more in digital infrastructure in the coming years,” says Martin Prins. ‘That is of course a positive development for us, because we want to continue to encourage submarine cable landings. But it is also a good time for external parties to make landings.’ Looking forward to meeting you at Submarine Networks Dutch Subsea Coalition ambassador Martin Prins, together with his colleagues Aldert de Jongste (Coalition Strategist) and Björn Oosterwijk (Gereral Secretary), and other coalition members representing the Netherlands, will be present at the Submarine Networks Event in London, February 2025. During the News in Brief sessions on Tuesday February 18th at 10:50, Martin will further discuss the coalition and the proposition of the Netherlands. Don’t miss his unique insights! Martin Prins: ‘It is clear that the Netherlands is “open for business”. We will further introduce our coalition to the international submarine cable community and inform interested parties about the possibilities that the Netherlands and the Subsea Cable Coalition can offer.’ *The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is a collaboration of: ABN AMRO, AMS-IX, Digital Realty, Dutch Datacenter Association (DDA), Equinix, Eurofiber, Fiber Carrier Association (FCA), KPN, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, i3D.net, InnovationQuarter, Liberty Global, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), NL-IX, Relined, Rijkswaterstaat, Stichting DiNL, Stratix, SURF and WorldStream. Join the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition at Booth 13 at Submarine Networks EMEA , the world’s largest submarine connectivity event taking place this week!