Away from America: Submarine cable project linking Europe to Canada across the Atlantic

The Norwegian company Bulk Infrastructure is seeking to build a submarine communications cable connecting Europe to Canada across the Atlantic, bypassing U.S. territory, at a cost exceeding $620 million. The project, named "Leif Erikson," aims to reduce Canada's reliance on American networks and enhance the independence of its digital infrastructure. The submarine cable extends 4,600 kilometers from southern Norway to Newfoundland, then 1,900 kilometers overland to Montreal.

The Norwegian company Bulk Infrastructure is seeking to build a submarine communications cable connecting Europe to Canada across the Atlantic Ocean, bypassing U.S. territory, in a project costing over $620 million. The project, named "Leif Erikson," aims to reduce Canada's reliance on American communications networks and enhance the independence of its digital infrastructure. The proposed submarine section runs from southern Norway to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 4,600 kilometers long, before connecting to an overland route stretching about 1,900 kilometers through Canadian territory to Montreal. Thus, the total length of the project is about 6,500 kilometers. Current estimates differ from the initial concept announced by the company in October 2021, when the submarine cable length was estimated at about 4,200 kilometers. The revival of the project comes amid growing Canadian interest in enhancing the resilience of international communications, after tensions between Washington and Ottawa highlighted the dependence of a large portion of Canadian data traffic and communications on American networks.