TELUS strengthens communications service resilience east of Baie-Comeau

TELUS today announced the successful deployment and commissioning of its nearly 125-kilometre submarine fibre optic cable connecting Sept-Îles to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. This critical infrastructure, which was deployed and buried in the seabed of the St. Lawrence River in November and December 2025, provides essential redundancy to the telecommunications network serving communities east of Baie-Comeau. This major project was made possible through a joint investment of more than $20 million from TELUS and the Government of Canada.

The commissioning of this submarine infrastructure creates an essential backup route that will ensure the continuity of all telecommunications services in the event of failures or breaks on the main terrestrial network along Route 138 between Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles. The cable offers massive bandwidth capacity, ultra-low latency and multi-decade durability, while ensuring physical redundancy as part of TELUS’s diverse route strategy.

A connectivity project anchored in responsible innovation

This major project was carried out following strict standards for the protection of marine wildlife and the environment. Several innovative initiatives were deployed.

  • During cable installation, the team relied on a detection system combining thermal imaging, AI and human intelligence to prevent collisions and reduce sound impacts on marine mammals—a first in Canada.
  • Environmental restoration work is planned for the spring and summer of 2026 to ensure the protection of the St. Lawrence River shorelines and to support the natural regrowth of resilient plants such as Sea Lyme-grass.

This initiative is part of TELUS’s commitment to connecting regions, supported by $70 billion in planned investments through 2029 allocated to infrastructure development, business expansion and spectrum licence acquisition.

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