Inside the planned Maple Leaf Fibre long-haul
A look at the route we're planning between Montréal and Toronto: why diverse paths matter and what owning the long-haul would mean for inter-city capacity.
TORONTO, Ontario — December 12, 2020 — After having completed a detailed engineering study, Metro Optic, Crosslake Fibre, and Utilities Kingston confirmed today their plans to proceed with their build of a new fibre-optic cable system from Montréal to Toronto.
The project is being developed by Maple Leaf Fibre Ltd., a joint venture of two leading independent Canadian providers of fibre optic network capacity, Crosslake Fibre ULC based in Toronto, Ontario and Metro Optic based in Montréal, Quebec. The Maple Leaf Fibre cable system will have a terrestrial segment between Montréal and Kingston, and a submarine segment through Lake Ontario between Kingston and downtown Toronto.
Maple Leaf Fibre has partnered with Utilities Kingston as strategic investor and development partner to optimize route design and accelerate time to market. Utilities Kingston plans to use the cable system to further enhance its state-of-the-art fibre optic services.
A physically diverse route
Providing a physically diverse route from other cable systems, the Maple Leaf Fibre cable system will have a high fibre count and offer commercially available dark fibre between Toronto and Montréal. Deploying advanced fibre optic technology along this optimized route will yield critical performance benefits to its users. The project is estimated to be ready for service during the second half of 2022.
“This is a truly exciting opportunity to develop much needed Internet Infrastructure along one of the busiest routes in Canada. We are thrilled to be working with great partners and believe that Maple Leaf Fibre has ideally positioned itself to provide a new, innovative solution in the Canadian wholesale marketplace.”
— Mike Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer, Crosslake Fibre
An independent, carrier-neutral operator
Maple Leaf Fibre will own and operate the system as an independent operator, giving the company flexibility to provide innovative commercial solutions to customers. As a carrier-neutral provider, the company will offer dark fibre strands to carriers, datacenter operators, ISPs, OTTs, cable MSOs and government-sponsored advanced network projects, among others.
“Canada is uniquely situated as gateway for high-capacity data flow between Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The Montréal-Toronto route is critical to reach Europe through the Maritimes, the major U.S. trading hubs of New York and Chicago to the South, and Asia to the West.”
— Michael Bucheit, General Manager, Metro Optic
“This project will provide new and existing businesses in Kingston with even faster and more reliable broadband connectivity – connecting them directly to centres in Toronto and Montréal. Fibre access is at the heart of strengthening our community’s competitive advantage, in particular with its potential to attract an enterprise-class data center, contributing to a smart and livable 21st century city. That’s why we’re pleased to support this initiative for Kingston.”
— Jim Keech, President and Chief Executive Officer, Utilities Kingston
About Crosslake Fibre ULC
Crosslake Fibre was established to develop fibre-optic projects throughout North America. Crosslake’s innovative approach to developing next-generation networks will bring new backbone routes to telecommunications carriers and web-centric customers, and last mile broadband to consumers. Crosslake Fibre’s leading project is its Lake Ontario project to construct a new subsea cable from Toronto, Canada to Buffalo, New York. For additional information, see www.crosslakefibre.ca.
About Metro Optic
Metro Optic is one of Canada’s largest carrier-neutral and datacenter-neutral operators of high-capacity fiber networks. The company offers dark and lit fiber solutions to medium and large sized businesses, telecom carriers, cloud operators, wholesalers and datacenter operators. The Metro Optic network reaches critical corporate and wholesale datacenters and interconnection locations in the greater Montreal and Toronto areas. For additional information, see www.metrooptic.com.
About Utilities Kingston
Utilities Kingston operates multiple utilities through a single service structure, allowing it to deliver cost savings and customer service excellence. The company is unique in Ontario, combining water, wastewater, gas and electrical services, and broadband fibre optics in one company. Trusted by customers to deliver reliable utilities for more than 150 years, employees are proud to provide personal, responsive services. For additional information, see www.utilitieskingston.com.