Phase 3 will connect Ungava communities from Kangiqsujuaq to Kangiqsualujjuaq with high-speed internet
The Kativik Regional Government is moving forward with the final phase of its fibre optic project after holding public consultations with communities.
The third phase of the Eastern Arctic Underwater Fibre Optic Network, also known as EAUFON3, will connect the seven Ungava villages from Kangiqsujuaq to Kangiqsualujjuaq and provide them high-speed internet service.
The work is expected to start in August 2027 and be completed by 2028, according to a regional government document provided to Nunatsiaq News.
KRG held public sessions in the communities from late June to early August to inform residents about the project, said Véronique St-Onge, an environmental consultant with the regional government.
Some people were concerned about whether the cable installation would impact the environment, she said. St-Onge explained that the submerged cable is inert and leaves a minimal footprint on the environment.
“The cable doesn’t emit any radiation or sound. It’s like a rock at the bottom of the sea,” she said. “Animals and plants can come and install themselves on it.”
A marine survey was conducted in 2022 to find the best location to build what’s called a beach manhole, an underground chamber where undersea fibre optic cables come ashore and connect to the land network.
St-Onge said that in Quaqtaq, community members were concerned that construction would affect their hunting activities. She said a new location a little further from the village was proposed and accepted.
Due to project delays caused by a lack of available ships, KRG installed high-performance Starlink satellite terminals across Ungava to provide internet service until cable work is completed.
“The idea behind that was to provide the same level of access, connectivity and speed that the other communities enjoy through EAUFON,” said Denis Abbott, KRG’s director of communications, in an interview.
St-Onge said that at the public meetings, some Starlink customers were reluctant to switch to KRG’s Tamaani fibre optic network.
“We had to … inform them of the economic, social and educational value of the fibre optic cable,” she said.
The fibre optic network offered through Tamaani will be less expensive and provide faster service. High-speed internet will benefit the local economy by creating business opportunities and offer better online access to education for students and teachers, St-Onge said.
The first phase was completed in June 2022, connecting Kuujjuaraapik, Umiujaq, Inukjuak and Puvirnituq to the Chisasibi fibre network. Most of the second phase connecting Akulivik, Ivujivik, Salluit and Deception Bay was completed in February. The overland route from Kujjuaq to Kawawachikamach is set to be completed by summer 2027.