AEConnect

Overview

AEConnect is a transatlantic submarine cable system linking Shirley, New York, on the eastern seaboard of the United States with Killala on Ireland's north-west coast. At 5,536 km, it is a direct, purpose-built route across the North Atlantic, owned and operated by Aqua Comms.

Route and Capacity

The cable's landing points place it at either end of one of the world's most traffic-intensive ocean crossings. Shirley, on Long Island, is an established hub for cables entering the New York metro area, while Killala provides access to the Irish national network and onward connectivity into continental Europe. The system is engineered for high throughput, with a design capacity of 130 wavelengths at 100 Gbit/s per fibre pair, yielding 13 Tbit/s of total potential capacity — a figure that reflects the sustained demand for bandwidth on the US–Europe corridor.

Ownership and Build

Aqua Comms, an independent transatlantic cable operator, holds ownership of the system. The company's focus on the North Atlantic market positions AEConnect as a carrier-grade offering aimed at content providers, telecommunications operators and enterprises requiring dedicated transatlantic capacity. Details of the cable's construction and its ready-for-service date are not publicly documented.

Place in the Cable Mix

The North Atlantic is among the most densely cabled ocean corridors on the planet, carrying the bulk of data traffic between North America and Europe. AEConnect competes and coexists with a range of systems on this route, many owned by consortia of large carriers or hyperscale content companies. As an independently owned cable, it offers an alternative to consortium-controlled capacity, which has commercial appeal for operators seeking diversity of supply and routing. Its Irish landing point in particular reflects Ireland's growing importance as a data centre and cloud infrastructure hub within Europe.