Ireland - Telecommunications services - Prior Information Notice for International Subsea Telecommunications Connectivity Programme

The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS) wishes to inform the market that it intends to progress a procurement process relating to the development of international subsea telecommunications connectivity. This supports the Government of Ireland’s intent to ensure the security and resilience of our digital infrastructure across our networks and sub-sea cable infrastructure, as announced in the recently published National Digital and AI Strategy 2030 (“Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future”). DCCS will undertake a structured supply chain and market engagement process over the coming months to help shape the final procurement approach, with the intention of issuing the tender within 12 months. The development aims to ensure direct and robust subsea fibre connectivity between Ireland and Mainland Europe on an ongoing basis to 2050, with an adequate level of redundancy and diversity. The main objective is to diversify Ireland’s international subsea telecommunications connectivity and in particular to enable the delivery of at least two new subsea cable routes from Ireland to Northern Europe with delivery of the first route commencing by circa 2031. Interested parties are encouraged to: • Monitor eTenders and ensure the appropriate CPV codes are selected so that notifications relating to this engagement are received. • Await further details on upcoming supplier briefings, market engagement activities, and the release of formal documentation will follow. • Begin considering any potential solutions, innovations, efficiencies, or value adding approaches they may wish to bring forward during the procurement process. DCCS anticipates active engagement with industry throughout this phase. Input from the market will be used to inform the design of the procurement, enhance value for money, and support efficient and effective delivery of the overall programme. This notice provides potential bidders with an overview of DCCS’s proposed intervention in Ireland’s international subsea telecommunications cable market. It outlines the programme objectives, the preferred intervention model, and expected future procurement activity. Subsea telecommunications cables carry approximately 99% of global data traffic and are essential for Ireland’s economic and digital infrastructure. As an island nation and a European technology hub, Ireland requires resilient, high capacity, and diverse subsea connections to support future demand and strengthen direct connectivity with EU Member States, and to provide for onward connectivity, through those new connections, to markets in Africa, Asia, and South America A Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case (PBC) have been completed in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines. These assessments concluded that a significant funding gap exists in the development of new subsea cable links between Ireland and the EU. Preferred Intervention Approach A range of State intervention options were considered. Following financial and economic appraisal, a hybrid intervention solution has been identified as the preferred approach. This hybrid solution includes: 1. Early-Stage Marine Survey Support: Upfront funding for marine surveys. This will facilitate detailed project design for the realisation of viable solutions. 2. Capital Grant Support and availability payment support for delivery of viable projects: This may be initiated as a second stage to bridge funding gaps and enable delivery for future projects. Forward Notice of Procurement Activity This briefing note serves as advance notification to the market that: • A procurement process for the initial subsea cable project (Early-Stage Marine Support) is expected to commence following Approval Gate 2. • Further procurements relating to additional subsea cable projects in accordance with 2 above may be initiated at a later date. Potential bidders are encouraged to monitor future DCCS publications and procurement portals for updates.