Norwegian infrastructure outfit Bulk is seeking a Canadian partner to build a $620 million transatlantic cable that would bypass the US.
According to Tom’s Hardware, the proposed Leif Erikson connection would stretch more than 2,800 miles from southern Norway to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. An underground route would then cross Canadian territory through Quebec to Montreal, providing a direct connection with Europe.
Only a few submarine cables connect Canada internationally without passing through the US, and none are owned by a Canadian company. Canadians worry the U.S. will block internet access to the rest of the world until the country surrenders and becomes the 51st state.
Bulk wants a Canadian majority partner to help finance and construct the system as Ottawa seeks to reduce dependence on its increasingly awkward neighbour.
Bulk co-founder Peder Nærbø described the proposal as part of a “sovereign cable system” for Canada. The company presented it to investors at a Canadian government summit in September. The outfit has already laid more than 6,200 miles of terrestrial and submarine cabling. Its proposed transatlantic expansion would serve telecoms operators, cloud providers and data centres.
Washington appears to have made avoiding America an infrastructure investment opportunity. The small business of finding someone willing to pay for several thousand miles of cable still exists. The project remains a proposal, and Bulk is seeking a partner to fund and build it.
