The laying of fibreoptic cable to Mjóifjörður, East Iceland is now complete, and houses in the area have been connected to the system. Mjóifjörður is the last settlement in Iceland to be connected to the country’s fibreoptic network. Now all regions of the country have access to secure telecommunications and internet connections. Locals celebrated the milestone at a special ceremony, where Transport Minister Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, whose role also oversees communications, gave a speech.
Since 2016, efforts have been made to lay fibreoptic cable in Iceland’s rural areas, primarily in order to improve quality of life and increase opportunities for job creation across the country. The government aims to ensure that 99.9% of homes and businesses have access to an internet connection with a speed of at least 100Mb/s by the end of 2021.
“It matters that people have a real choice of place of residence and have the opportunity to choose a job regardless of location,” Sigurður Ingi stated, adding that a better internet connection can also improve access to a growing variety of services only available online.
Though a milestone was reached with Mjóifjörður’s connection, more work remains to be done. Plans are in place to improve the quality of connections in several areas, as well as improve cellular connections on highways, popular tourist sites, evacuation areas near volcanoes, and out at sea.
