Norwegian Firm Seeks Canadian Partner for $620 Million Subsea Cable Bypassing U.S.

A Norwegian company building fiber networks and data centers in Europe is seeking a Canadian partner to co-fund a transatlantic subsea cable directly linking Canada and Europe, estimated to cost $620 million and designed to bypass the United States, Bloomberg reported. The project, named "Leif Erikson," remains in the partner-search stage. The Norwegian operator wants a Canadian partner to hold a majority stake, help raise financing and drive construction; no final decision has been made. The cable would run more than 2,800 miles (about 4,500 kilometers) from southern Norway across the Atlantic to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. On landing, traffic would travel via underground fiber through Quebec to Montreal, keeping both the subsea link and its Canadian terrestrial segment off U.S. soil. The proposal comes as deteriorating relations between Washington and Ottawa push Canada to reduce direct reliance on its southern neighbor. If realized, it would add a data route between Canada and Europe that avoids the U.S.