Toronto-based CanArctic Inuit Networks says they will construct a fiber optic cable network to connect Clarenville in Newfoundland and Iqaluit, Nunavut. The company estimates a total span of more than 2,000 kilometers for this new network.
The initial calculation is around $107 million for building the new fiber link that would deliver high speed communication services to the customers. The link would be known as SednaLink
Nunavut is depending on satellites for its communication services. Satellite communication is costly and hence therefore would be unaffordable to many people. In order to deliver internet and other high speed services at an affordable rate, fiber optic cables are necessary. Satellite communication has its own inherent disadvantages as the signal quality depends on the weather conditions. Satellite communication has bandwidth limitations and is, therefore, slower compared to wired solutions.
Worldwide, there is a trend towards the deployment of fiber optic cables as they offer high capacity transmission at high speed. The high bandwidth offered by the light signals reduces overall transmission cost and makes the communication services economically viable.
CanArctic said that the project would first bring fiber-optic internet to the territory’s capital, which would later expand to nearby communities. For CanArctic, it took around ten years to reach a conclusion about this project as the company was looking at every possible option. They conducted the route study and analyzed the risk and cost implications.
As per the current plans, CanArctic will complete the project in the next two years. Modern deployment types of equipment are available these days to aid the installation with minimum manpower.
CanArctic will be putting forward an application to the federal government under the Universal Broadband Fund and has “identified other funding sources, the officials at CanArctic commented. The whole project would be solely funded by CanArctic. Intervention by the government authorities for investment may delay the project further.
The Nunavut government has a plan to build a 1,700 kilometers long fiber optic line to connect Iqaluit and Nuuk, Greenland. The project cost for this network is estimated at $151 million, which will be contributed by the federal government.
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