ASN wins EAUFON subsea cable contract
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ASN wins EAUFON subsea cable contract

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Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been awarded the contract to supply the new Eastern Arctic Undersea Fiber Optic Network (EAUFON) – subsea cable system.

The new system is funded by the Kativik Regional Government, (KRG), a supramunicipal body with jurisdiction over the territory of Québec.

One live, the new cable will connect five communities in northern Québec that have been largely dependent on satellite communications, and will provide local citizens with a reliable, affordable and secure high-speed Internet connectivity.

"ASN is honoured to have been selected by KRG for the supply of the EAUFON system that will bring reliable high-bandwidth connectivity to northern Quebec by building upon our previous experience in successfully installing advanced coherent submarine cable systems in the remote and harsh Arctic environment,” said Alain Biston, president of ASN.

The 2-fibre pair system will offer speeds of at least 10Tbps per fibre pair, with the potential to be extended in the future to connect other communities in northern Canada. Under the terms of the contract, ASN will integrate the latest versions of its subsea products including high bandwidth repeaters, OADM branching units, SoftNode submarine line terminal, and modular duplicated power feed equipment.

With a tentative RFS date of the end of 2021, ASN will manufacturer the 1,200km fibre-optic subsea cable in its facilities in France and the UK and will deploy it using a purpose-built subsea cable ship.

“The KRG is pleased to be working with ASN on this most important broadband project. The benefits to health, education, public security and governance is immense and transformative,” added Jennifer Munick, chairperson at KRG.

“EAUFON will provide broadband capacity to fulfil the needs of the people and businesses of Nunavik for many years to come. We will not only bridge the digital divide, but we will leap across it.”

ASN will also leverage its previous experience of four previous projects in the Arctic region to manage the difficult weather conditions and the meet the stringent regulatory, logistical, scheduling, and operational constraints in the Hudson Bay.

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