Finland to snip 30% of Russia's web traffic by 2027
When energy trade dies, hanging fiber-optic cables on old power poles turns into an unwanted charity project. Heavy irony is coming for the neighbor who thought transit routes were forever.
Finland's grid operator decided to stop maintaining the transmission poles carrying vital fiber-optic lines directly into Russia. Ever since electricity imports from the East ground to a halt, keeping those massive support structures standing turned into a financial black hole.
The physical cables will be cut completely and the supporting poles dismantled by 2027. Up to 30% of all communication channels between the two countries rely on these exact overhead lines, making the Nordic neighbor one of the largest transit highways for Russian internet traffic.
Telecom providers are currently scrambling to build alternative routes underground before the chainsaw crew arrives.
Relying on a neighbor's power poles to hold up national fiber lines was always an optimistic design choice. Digital sovereignty hits quite differently when the digital part physically falls into the mud alongside dismantled timber.
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