Chile's state telecommunications authority, Subtel, has received a feasibility study concluding that an undersea fibre-optic cable from southern Chile through the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula is technically feasible. The study found no insurmountable technical obstacles. A possible Antarctic terminus is the Chilean research and logistics settlement centred on the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base on King George Island.
Two options, one research goal
The project, called Cable Antártico, is primarily intended to improve research and the exchange of scientific data. Antarctica currently depends on satellites for digital connectivity, and the study says growing volumes of scientific data are pushing that infrastructure to its limits. The planned cable would change that. For research, the connection would be a major step forward. Climate, ocean and satellite data could be transmitted at significantly higher capacity.
The smaller option would run about 1,600 kilometres from Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams to three Chilean facilities in Antarctica. Its cost is estimated at around 370 million US dollars. The larger option would build a 4,100-kilometre cable system with nine landing points and could also connect stations belonging to other countries. That version is estimated at around 621 million US dollars. Data rates of 15 to 30 terabits per second per connection point are envisaged. The graphic published with the study shows the key stages of the route from Punta Arenas to Antarctica.
Fibre would complement Starlink, not replace it
Satellite broadband is no longer hypothetical in Antarctica. Starlink says Roam and Global Priority service is available there, and it lists Antarctica for in-motion maritime use. Unsold Antarctica’s first-hand Starlink story describes using it aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Voyager and tracks expedition operators that have adopted it. Its current connectivity guide compares allowances and providers across fleets.
The proposed cable and Starlink solve different problems. Starlink can serve moving ships and isolated bases now, without waiting for a seabed route. Fibre would instead create a fixed, very high-capacity backbone at its landing points, with the option to carry SMART sensors through the Drake Passage. It would not automatically connect ships at sea: expedition vessels would still depend on satellite service, while stations beyond the landing sites would need onward links. For travellers, operator Wi-Fi packages and coverage remain the practical issue; the cable’s biggest immediate value would be to research and shore infrastructure.
The cable could measure the Drake Passage
SMART sensors could be integrated into the fibre-optic system. They could continuously monitor temperature, pressure and seismic activity on the seabed of the Drake Passage. The cable would become a scientific measuring instrument as well as a data link. The study says the cable could thus itself become a scientific instrument.
Construction would be difficult. The route crosses great water depths, icebergs and sea ice, and sensitive marine areas. The environmental regulations of the Antarctic Treaty would apply. The CS Global Sentinel is a vessel specialised in laying and repairing subsea telecommunications cables. It shows the kind of technology the work would require, although it is not directly linked to the Antarctic project.
The decision timeline runs into November
No decision on construction has been made. The study reached a positive conclusion, but funding, international partners, the operational structure and permits still have to be clarified. In September 2026, the Chilean Antarctic Institute, INACH, and the Magallanes Region are due to give their views. The project could be submitted to the Chilean Council for Antarctic Policy in November.
If the decision is favourable, planners estimate full implementation will take about eight years. That would make Antarctica directly connected to the global fibre-optic network for the first time.
For expedition travellers, the practical question is what a cable would mean for shipboard connectivity and for the research behind Antarctic voyages. Ask an operator how a future cable would change data capacity and science support on board. Approval would come first, so the earliest connected season is roughly eight years away. The cable is not a near-term change to any voyage.