Lightera Expands Submarine Fiber Capacity

Publication Staff, Lightera
September 21, 2026

Lightera has announced capital investment in Denmark and the United States that is intended to nearly triple its submarine optical-fiber manufacturing capacity by 2029. The September 21, 2026 program is designed to cover commitments already made to customers and provide supply for later submarine cable projects. The company says it is expanding now because fiber orders arrive well before cable deployment and because demand for international communications infrastructure continues to strengthen.

The work covers Lightera facilities in Brøndby, Denmark, along with Norcross, Georgia, and Sturbridge, Massachusetts. These sites form the company's global production base for optical fiber used in demanding undersea networks. Lightera says its relationships with cable manufacturers and hyperscale operators offer advance insight into future requirements and technology choices. Fiber is typically purchased about one year before a cable is deployed, so manufacturing readiness can affect whether suppliers are able to meet planned construction schedules.

Lightera attributes the market expansion to spending on AI computing, hyperscale data centers, cloud services and worldwide network development. Chief Executive Holly Hulse said the industry needs more factory capacity at the same time that it prepares new optical technologies. The submarine-fiber program is part of broader investment across Lightera's manufacturing operations, combining nearer-term output growth with development for later customer needs. That approach links supplier capacity directly to the cable sector's project pipeline rather than treating fiber production as a separate market.

The next technology milestone is commercialization of multicore fiber, for which initial submarine deployments are expected in the 2029–2030 period. Lightera says multicore designs can substantially increase transmission capacity for future networks. The present milestone is the announced expansion of existing manufacturing operations; the company has not described the program as complete. Its three named plants will serve both current commitments and cable projects that remain in development. Lightera's stated path is to scale conventional supply through 2029 while preparing customers for multicore deployments. The company has its operational headquarters in Norcross and operates as part of Furukawa Electric Group.

View source