KAMLOOPS, BC – Telus has been tapped by Pathways to Technology to help connect nine First Nations in the Cariboo Chilcotin to its high speed fibre optic internet network PureFibre.
The project will significantly improve access to health care, education, economic development opportunities and emergency response services to more than 2,200 people living in 13 communities within the nations of Esdilagh, Xatśūll, Stswecem'c Xgat'tem, Esketemc, Ulkatcho, Tŝideldel, Tl'etinqox, Yunes't'in and Tl'esqox.
Telus EVP and Chief Customer Officer Tony Geheran said that more than 50 indigenous communities in B.C. and Alberta will be connected to the PureFibre network by the end of next year.
"We are proud to have been selected by Pathways to Technology to bring Telus PureFibre, the most advanced and capable Broadband Network technology available to Canadians to the region, equipping these communities with Internet capacity and speeds that will support continued creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship on these lands for generations to come,” Geheran said in the news release.
Funded by the provincial and federal government and managed by All Nations Trust Company (ANTCO), Pathways to Technology aims to bring affordable high-speed Internet to all 203 First Nations in BC. The organization will help to fund the initiative along with Telus and the Interior Health Authority.
"Our challenges are to bridge the digital divide faced by our communities and to address changing demands by thinking forward,” added ANTCO CEO Paul Donald and Pathways to Technology project manager Ruth Williams. “This build will meet both of these challenges and will also enable our communities to overcome many issues that geographic barriers create. Access to high speed internet provides a critical link to the health and economic well-being of these communities.”
