Quaqtaq, QC, Canada

Quaqtaq, QC, Canada: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Quaqtaq is a northern village in Nunavik, northern Quebec, Canada. Situated in a remote Arctic coastal environment, it is one of 44 submarine cable landing points across Canada. One submarine cable lands at Quaqtaq, connecting it to broader underwater communications infrastructure serving northern Quebec and the wider Canadian Arctic corridor.

The single cable landing at Quaqtaq is EAUFON 3, a domestic Canadian cable that links communities entirely within Canada. Given the remote and sparsely populated character of Nunavik, submarine cables represent a significant means of providing connectivity to communities like Quaqtaq that are difficult to reach by terrestrial infrastructure. The EAUFON 3 cable is scheduled to be ready for service in 2027 and is currently in draft status.

Cables Landing at Quaqtaq

EAUFON 3 is a 900-kilometre submarine cable with a planned ready-for-service date of 2027, currently at draft stage. The cable operates entirely within Canada, connecting Canadian endpoints without crossing into international waters or reaching foreign shores. At 900 km, it falls close to the Canadian average cable length of 877 km for the country's submarine cable network. EAUFON 3 is one of several cables associated with the Nunavik coastal corridor in northern Quebec, and its completion would bring Quaqtaq into the operational submarine cable network for the first time.

Regional Context

Within Canada's 44 landing points, Quaqtaq hosts a single cable, placing it among a group of one-cable landing points that also includes Akulivik, Aupaluk, and Aylesford. Nearby Nunavik communities Kangiqsujuaq and Puvirnituq each host two cables, as does the major eastern hub of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Quaqtaq's single-cable status is representative of many smaller northern landing points that are served by targeted domestic cable projects rather than multi-cable international systems.

Network Role

Quaqtaq functions as a single-cable terminus rather than a multi-cable hub. The EAUFON 3 cable, once operational in 2027, will connect Quaqtaq to other points within Canada, supporting intra-national connectivity along the northern Quebec coastline. The cable does not provide direct links to other countries, meaning Quaqtaq's role in the submarine cable graph is oriented toward regional domestic coverage within the Nunavik corridor.

Within the broader Canadian submarine cable landscape, which spans 18 cables across 44 landing points, Quaqtaq represents the extension of underwater cable infrastructure into one of Canada's more remote northern communities. Its presence in the network reflects the ongoing effort to bring Arctic and sub-Arctic settlements into the country's submarine cable graph alongside more established landing points.