TESLIN, YT and FORT LIARD, NT — Bell Canada subsidiary Northwestel announced today the launch of fibre-to-the-home service to homes and businesses in Teslin, Yukon Territory and Fort Liard, Northwest Territories.
Residential customers in the two communities now have access to unlimited data, speeds of up to 250 Mbps and the new digital streaming TV service Northwestel TV Plus, says a press release. High-speed unlimited Internet is also available now to businesses in the two communities.
“Available Internet speeds in Teslin and Fort Liard now far surpass the CRTC’s universal service objective of 50 Mbps. Internet rates in the two communities now also match those available in major Northern centres. With Northwestel’s $10 price reductions on unlimited Internet plans last week, the company is moving towards making high-speed Internet a more accessible option for Northerners,” the release reads.
Residents in Teslin and Fort Liard can also access live HD TV content through the new Northwestel TV Plus service, including made-in-the-North community TV, the release says. The Northwestel TV Plus service allows customers to watch on TVs, phones or tablets anytime, starting at $25 per month.
“We’re so excited to see more and more Northern communities connect to high-speed unlimited Internet with fibre,” said Northwestel vice-president of consumer markets Tammy April, in the release.
“There’s a big jump from DSL to fibre. There are now almost 300 households across Teslin and Fort Liard that can upgrade to Internet speeds up to 16 times faster than previously possible. Thank you to the Teslin Tlingit Council, Village of Teslin, Hamlet of Fort Liard, and Acho Dene Koe First Nation for allowing us into your communities to make these improvements. Ultimately, connecting communities to fibre is about connecting people to opportunities — in work, school, health, and more.”
Connecting Teslin and Fort Liard to fibre is part of Northwestel’s Every Community project, a three-year plan to bring high-speed unlimited Internet to 10,000 homes in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, explains the press release.
The Every Community project is the company’s “largest-ever construction initiative” and is funded by Northwestel’s own investments and $62 million in funding from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund, the release says.
Teslin and Fort Liard now join six other Northern communities that have been connected to Northwestel’s high-speed FTTH service, including Hay River, Inuvik, Dawson City, Watson Lake, Upper Liard and Behchokǫ̀.
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