The race to break through the final digital frontier in the Arctic

Firms are looking to place miles of undersea cables in the Arctic Ocean in order to better connect that part of the world with the rest of us. The path is less prone to disruption by shipping and would provide a faster connection between Japan and Europe, which could justify the plan's billion-dollar price.

It's only barely feasible; climate change means ships could traverse the necessary path in the summer, but cable ships would need to be equipped as ice-breakers, which hasn't yet been done.

We chat with Wall Street Journal reporter Isabelle Bousquette for more.