CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) are happy to announce Baylink Networks as the prime contractor for designing and building the Connected Coast project.
“With this announcement, we’re taking an exciting next step towards getting fibre in the water and bringing high speed connectivity to communities along coastal British Columbia,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “Baylink’s proposal was strong, and the company has the capacity and experience to build Canada’s largest undersea fibre optic network.”
Baylink Networks was selected after an extensive procurement process. Earlier this year, a public request-for-proposals process was announced with a deadline for submissions passed in early September. “Both, CityWest and the SRD evaluated all the proposals. Baylink Networks was selected as the successful bidder because they are an experienced company with extensive knowledge in this space,” said Dave Leitch, CAO of Strathcona Regional District.
CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District entered into a joint venture agreement in September 2020 to manage the Connected Coast project.
Baylink Networks is a private company based in Port Coquitlam, B.C. that specializes in providing turnkey undersea networks.
“We’re excited to be part of the Connected Coast project, connecting remote coastal communities of British Columbia with high-speed internet,” said Darren Dofher, CEO of Baylink Networks. “We look forward to seeing what economies will develop in these communities with state-of-the-art infrastructure and limitless bandwidth. We would like to thank the extended team that worked diligently to get the project underway.”
The Connected Coast will bring high-speed Internet accessibility to rural and remote communities along coastal B.C., Haida Gwaii, and Vancouver Island. It will connect communities to a subsea fibre-optic network that will run from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, down the Sunshine Coast, and around Vancouver Island. The cable will provide 159 landings at rural and remote coastal communities, including 48 Indigenous communities representing 44 First Nations, with the opportunity to connect to high-speed internet. It is anticipated that this project will be completed at the end of 2023.
The project has been made possible by the government of Canada’s Connect to Innovate program, Indigenous Services Canada, and the Province of B.C. through the Connecting British Columbia program administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust.
To learn more about Strathcona Regional District and City West’s Connected Coast Project, please visit www.connectedcoast.ca.
