KUUJJUAQ, QC – Canadian satellite company Telesat and the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) announced an agreement today that will let a growing number of native communities across Northern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba have access to a full range of IP broadband services.
The KRG signed the agreement on behalf of the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) which was established in 2005 by the KRG, Keewaytinook Okimakanak’s K-Net and the Keewatin Tribal Council, says the press release.
The long-term agreement for multiple C-band transponders on Telesat’s Anik F3 satellite follows a commitment the Government of Canada made last year to invest in satellite infrastructure as the means of bringing advanced communications to communities in the North.
"Through this contract, we are making advanced broadband services available to 13 First Nations communities in northern Ontario, 15 remote communities in northern Quebec and 16 satellite-served communities in northern Manitoba. Broadband connectivity will stimulate economic development and improve quality of life for our citizens through greater access to health, education and other government services,” said KRG chair Maggie Emudluk at today’s signing ceremony.
Added Paul Bush, Telesat’s vice-president, North American sales: "Telesat’s Anik F3 satellite is ideally suited to provide much needed services to Canada’s northern communities. Telesat has worked for many years with the northern communities to improve access. This network is an important step and we are very proud of our role in bringing advanced communications services to everyone, no matter where they live."
Funding for the NICSN-Telesat agreement is provided mainly through Infrastructure Canada’s National Satellite Initiative, formed in 2003. Further financial assistance has been made available by the Quebec government through its program entitled Villages branchés du Québec and the Ontario government through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. The parties involved in the NICSN jointly secure, manage and share satellite bandwidth for purposes of delivering a full suite of online communications services to their communities including tele-health, e-learning, e-justice, video conferencing, and VOIP, reads the press release.
