CANTAT-1 was the first Canadian transatlantic telephone cable, between Hampden, Newfoundland and eventually Grosses-Roches, Quebec and Oban, United Kingdom, which followed on from the success of TAT-1.
[1][2] It was conceived and approved as stage one of a proposed commonwealth round the world cable and was done at a cost of $8,500,000.
[3] The system was jointly owned by Cable & Wireless and the Canadian Overseas Telecommunication Corporation (COTC).
The second phase, linked by overland cable from Hampden to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, was the 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km) segment laid by HMTS CS Alert[note 2] with both shore ends laid by CS Hadsund.
[1][2] The new Trans Atlantic cables, TAT-1, CANTAT-1 and TAT-2, with their high capacity brought about a major change in regulations, with specific changes in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission policies regarding lease of foreign cable channels by U.S. international record carriers.