CityWest is building a new fibre-optic route along Highway 37 in an effort to strengthen telecommunications reliability across Northern B.C.
The Northern Resiliency project will create a physically separate telecommunications path through the region, giving internet traffic another route when existing infrastructure is damaged or disrupted.
Once operational, the new route will allow traffic to be redirected north along Highway 37 if another major fibre pathway is unavailable.
CityWest said the project is intended to address the risks facing telecommunications infrastructure in Northern B.C., where damage to a single major route can affect communities hundreds of kilometres away.
“Reliability is at the centre of every decision we make,” said Wes Eisses, Chief Operating Officer of CityWest. “From network design to ongoing maintenance, our goal is to deliver service customers can depend on every day.”
The announcement follows a telecommunications disruption on Aug. 11 that affected CityWest’s network. CityWest said the disruption involved third-party transport infrastructure and Rogers advised the company that copper theft was responsible for the fibre damage.
The new Highway 37 infrastructure will be installed underground, which CityWest said will reduce its exposure to risks including theft, wildfire, vehicle collisions and wildlife damage.
Equipment sites along the route will also have redundant power systems designed to keep the network operating during extended power outages.
Currently, there is no fibre-optic telecommunications route extending north toward the Yukon along Highway 37. CityWest said the new corridor will be separate from existing telecommunications infrastructure along Highway 16.
CityWest is developing the project in partnership with the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation. CityWest will own and operate the fibre infrastructure, with funding support from the CRTC Broadband Fund.
The route will also be available to other telecommunications carriers looking for additional resiliency and route diversity for networks serving British Columbia and the Yukon.
CityWest explained that the project is expected to strengthen telecommunications reliability for communities along the Highway 16 and Highway 37 corridors.
The new route is anticipated to be operational by the end of 2027.
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