The Yukon government plans to build a new 750-kilometre fibre optic link along the Dempster Highway, providing badly needed reliability to the territory’s telecommunications infrastructure by 2017.

The project will connect the Yukon’s existing fibre optic lines with the N.W.T. government’s Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line to Inuvik.

Economic Development Minister Stacey Hassard made the announcement this morning at the annual Opportunities North conference taking place at the Yukon Convention Centre.

The project is estimated to cost $32 million.

“For the past two years, our government has conducted extensive research into fibre optic route possibilities, with particular focus on the Dempster Highway and Juneau as viable options,” Hassard said in a new release.

“Building a new fibre optic line connecting the N.W.T. and Yukon fibre networks is the best way to provide robust protection to critical telecommunications services in more Yukon communities.”

For years, the Yukon has been plagued by lengthy failures of telecommunications services, often after contractors, using heavy equipment in the territory and in southern jurisdictions, have unwittingly sliced through the vital fibre optic cable providing these services in the Yukon.

The latest extended collapse in services occurred last month, affecting the Internet, many cellphone services and electronic business transactions.

“The most recent fibre cut occurring just over a month ago highlighted the disruption to business and telecommunications created by the lack of a fully redundant, self-healing Internet connection,” Hassard told the conference delegates.

The project announced today will complete a fibre loop in northern Canada, providing the ability for data to flow in another direction in the event of damage to the fibre at any point.

This fibre loop will protect Internet, telephone, cellular and credit card services as well as government and emergency 911 services where available.

“This link will provide the best long-term diversity for Yukon as well as enable diversity of voice and mobility services,” Hassard told the conference.

“... This means that should there be a backhoe cut or fire damage, for example, it will mean outages will largely go unnoticed to residents and businesses along the loop.

“Cloud data services, ATMs and credit card machines will remain operational while the primary line is fixed. And Internet access will continue at broadband speeds.”

Northwestel Inc. has pledged to contribute money to strengthening fibre infrastructure in the Yukon, including extending the existing fibre line from Stewart Crossing to Dawson City.

“The completion of the fibre loop will bring benefit to all Yukoners and more communities in the N.W.T.,” said Paul Flaherty, Northwestel’s president and CEO.

“As a truly northern company, we at Northwestel are proud to be a part of an all-Canadian solution that will protect the everyday services that northern Canadians increasingly rely on.

“This critical infrastructure link will help all Yukon communities, N.W.T. communities along the Mackenzie River and in fact satellite served communities throughout the North.”

Every Yukon community will benefit from the introduction of expanded redundancy under the plan, the government said, with 10 Yukon communities along the fibre line gaining full redundancy.

“Providing reliable, consistent and economic telecommunications services to Yukoners is a priority for the Yukon government,” Hassard added.

“This link will provide long-term, diversified infrastructure to deliver increased protection to telecommunications services for Yukoners and local businesses.”

It’s expected the Dempster Highway route will take two years to complete.