GN Reaches Milestone for Internet Fibre Link
For Immediate Release
GN Reaches Milestone for Internet Fibre Link
Iqaluit, Nunavut (June 10, 2022) – Earlier this week, the Government of Nunavut (GN) has released a request for proposals (RFP) to link Nunavut to the Internet via an undersea fibre cable. The Katittuq Nunavut Fibre link will connect Iqaluit to Milton, Newfoundland and Labrador, an existing meeting point for fibre cables on the east coast of Canada.
“This link is one step toward providing faster, more reliable and more affordable access to the Internet for all Nunavummiut,” says the Honourable David Joanasie, Minister of Community and Government Services. “The last couple of years have highlighted that faster and more reliable internet is required to provide core government services such as education and healthcare. When complete, this fibre network to Iqaluit will free up additional bandwidth on the existing GN satellite network and enhance services in Nunavut.”
The project is expected to be awarded to the winning company later this year, and consultations and permit acquisitions will be ongoing. A route survey for the Katittuq Nunavut link is expected to begin in 2023, with the cable being laid in 2024, and service beginning in 2025.
“With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to connecting Canadians to reliable, highspeed internet from coast to coast to coast,” says the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. “Our government is committed to improving connectivity throughout Nunavut and all northern communities. I am thrilled that soon Nunavummiut will be just a click away from reaching the rest of the world.”
This link is one component of the GN’s plan to ensure that access to Internet services in Nunavut reach national targets that respects the land, animals and environment. Subsea fibre cables have been shown to yield low environmental impact, including in the Arctic, and are currently being installed for use in Nunavik.
This project is jointly funded, with $151.2 million from the Government of Canada, and $50.4 million from the Government of Nunavut.
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