CablingInstall.com's sister publication Lightwave, a chronicler of the fiber-optic telecom industry, reports that:
Metro Optic, Crosslake Fibre, and Utilities Kingston have announced creation of a joint venture called Maple Leaf Fibre Ltd. that will build a fiber-optic network to connect Montréal with Toronto with a stop in Ottawa along the way.
The first two companies, fiber-optic networks service providers based in Montreal and Toronto, respectively, will form and operate the joint venture, while Utilities Kingston will serve as a strategic investor and development partner, as well as a customer of the resultant fiber infrastructure. The Maple Leaf Fibre network will include a terrestrial segment between Montreal, Ottawa, and Kingston, as well as a submarine segment through Lake Ontario between Kingston and downtown Toronto. Crosslake already has a submarine network project underway that will link Toronto with Buffalo, NY.
Related: IT International Telecom Canada to deploy Crosslake Fibre’s Lake Ontario submarine cable
The project, expected to be completed during the second half of next year, will add both additional dark fiber options to the region as well as route diversity, the partners say. Expected customers include carriers, data center operators, ISPs, OTT service providers, cable MSOs, government-sponsored advanced network projects, and others. “Canada is uniquely situated as a gateway for high-capacity data flow between Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The Montreal-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,” said Michael Bucheit, Metro Optic CEO.
See also: Bell's all-fiber broadband network is now on in Toronto