Amazon Seeks Approval for Subsea Cable Landing Station in Cork, Ireland

Amazon Files for Planning Permission to Build Cable Landing Station in Ireland January 13, 2026 Amazon has taken a significant step in expanding its global network infrastructure by filing for planning permission to construct a cable landing station (CLS) in County Cork, Ireland. This move underscores the intensifying race among cloud and tech giants to own and control the critical subsea fiber routes that underpin the modern digital economy, ensuring low-latency, high-capacity connectivity for their cloud services and customers. The application, submitted last month by Amazon MCS Ireland Ltd to the Cork County Council, proposes developing the facility on a site at Tullyneasky West in Clonakilty. The project entails demolishing two existing structures and constructing the CLS itself, along with an ESB substation, a switch room building, and external infrastructure including generators and fuel tanks. A decision from the local council is expected in February. This planned landing station is designed to serve Amazon's forthcoming private transatlantic cable, named Fastnet. The cable system will connect Cork directly to Maryland in the United States and, upon its operational launch in 2028, is projected to deliver more than 320 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity. Amazon's involvement in subsea cables is not new; the company is a part-owner or anchor tenant on several systems including Havfrue, Hawaiki, Jupiter, and Marea. However, Fastnet marks Amazon's first wholly owned private transatlantic cable, granting it greater control over this vital infrastructure. The strategic choice of Cork for the landing point diversifies Ireland's subsea connectivity landscape, which has historically been concentrated around Dublin on the east coast and areas like Mayo and Galway on the west coast. Currently, the only other cable landing in County Cork is the Exa Express cable. This development is poised to bolster Ireland's position as a key European data hub, potentially attracting further digital infrastructure investment to the region. Beyond subsea cables, Amazon is also expanding its footprint in Cork with a previously approved ground station for its Project Kuiper satellite network at the National Space Centre in Midleton. Source: datacenterdynamics