Halifax, NS, Canada

Halifax, NS, Canada: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of Nova Scotia, situated on Canada's Atlantic coast. As a city facing directly toward the North Atlantic, Halifax occupies a natural geographic position for transatlantic submarine cable connections. Two submarine cables land at Halifax, linking Canada with Ireland and the United Kingdom, and establishing this landing point as a terminus on the transatlantic corridor.

The two cables landing here — EXA North and South and EXA Express — collectively connect Halifax to Ireland and the United Kingdom, with EXA North and South also extending to the United States. Together, they form a transatlantic network segment that places Halifax among Canada's eastward-facing cable gateways, distinct from the Pacific-oriented landing points elsewhere in the country.

Cables Landing at Halifax, NS, Canada

EXA North and South is a 12,200 km cable that reached ready-for-service status in 2001. In addition to Halifax, it connects Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, spanning the North Atlantic and linking Halifax into a multi-country transatlantic system.

EXA Express is a 4,600 km cable with a ready-for-service date of 2015. It connects Halifax with Ireland and the United Kingdom, forming a more direct transatlantic route between Canada and Western Europe. Its shorter length relative to EXA North and South reflects a more streamlined routing across the North Atlantic.

Regional Context

Across Canada's 155 submarine cable landing points, Halifax shares a cable count of two with several other Canadian locations, including Kangiqsujuaq, Prince Rupert, Puvirnituq, and Vancouver. However, Halifax is distinctive among these peers in its orientation: while Prince Rupert, Vancouver, and the British Columbia sites face the Pacific, Halifax's cables are exclusively transatlantic, connecting eastward to Ireland and the United Kingdom rather than toward Asia or the Pacific basin.

Network Role

Halifax functions as a two-cable transatlantic landing point, connecting Canada directly to Ireland and the United Kingdom via both EXA North and South and EXA Express. EXA North and South additionally extends this reach to the United States, making Halifax part of a multi-node transatlantic network that bridges North America and Western Europe. The combination of a 2001-era cable and a 2015-era cable at the same location indicates sustained investment in the transatlantic corridor through Halifax over more than a decade.

Within the broader Canadian submarine cable graph, Halifax represents the primary Atlantic-facing node, concentrating the country's eastbound transatlantic cable infrastructure at a single location on the Nova Scotia coast. This eastern orientation complements Canada's Pacific-facing cable infrastructure and underlines Halifax's specific role in connecting the country to Europe.