wiredinUSA August 2018

Photo by Oskars Sylwan on Unsplash

Cable takes to the lake

in particular with its potential to attract an enterprise-class data center, contributing to a smart and liveable 21 st century city. That’s why we’re pleased to support this initiative for Kingston.” The project, due for completion in late 2019, will offer a physically diverse route from existing systems and will supply commercially available dark fiber between Toronto and Montreal. Maple Leaf Fibre will own the cable system, which will be operated independently of the JV partners, with dark fiber strands made available for carriers, data center operators, ISPs, OTTs and others. This will be the third project for Crosslake Fibre. Crosslake’s first project, across Lake Ontario from Canada to the US, is already underway. The second Crosslake project will link New Jersey and Long Island along the shore of the Atlantic, bypassing Manhattan.

Maple Leaf Fibre, a joint venture between Metro Optic and Crosslake Fibre, is building a new fiber cable system between Montreal and Toronto, with a terrestrial segment connecting Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston, and a submarine section through LakeOntario linking Kingston to Toronto. Utilities Kingston will partner on the project as a strategic investor and development partner, and will use the cable system to boost its fiber optic services. Jim Keech, president and CEO of Utilities Kingston, said: “This project will provide new and existing businesses in Kingston with even faster and more reliable broadband connectivity – connecting them directly to centers in Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa.

“Fiber access is at the heart of strengthening our community’s competitive advantage,

wiredInUSA - August 2018

18