GATINEAU – The first call for applications for Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and all other satellite-communications-dependent communities in Canada closed on October 3.
While the CRTC confirmed that it has received 15 applications for funding, these applications were filed confidentially and will not be made public by the Commission.
Northwestel, however, made a sunmary of its own application public and Iristel has shared its application with Cartt.ca, defining the companies’ visions for bringing 50/10 Mbps Internet with unlimited data options to every community in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
We asked a handful of other companies for their applications, too, but they either didn’t respond or declined to send them.
Highlights of the NWTel’s proposal, include:
- The Bell Canada division will install fibre-to-the-Home in terrestrial-served rural communities, allowing the company to meet and exceed the CRTC’s universal service objective.
- Fibre transport: New fibre transport will be built to Mayo, Ross River, Faro and Dettah.
- Telesat low earth orbit satellites: Northwestel has signed a memorandum of understanding with Telesat to deliver 50/10/unlimited data Internet to 32 satellite-served Northern communities using Telesat’s planned state-of-the-art LEO satellite constellation, projected to be available in 2023.
- Unlimited data everywhere: In addition to investments in rural areas, Northwestel will upgrade its hybrid fibre-coax (HFC) technology in the five communities that already exceed 50/10 Mbps speeds, such as Whitehorse, in order to ensure every community has access to an unlimited Internet data option.
“We believe distance should not be a limiting factor for northern Canadians. That’s why Northwestel is putting forward our vision for bringing high-speed Internet to every community in Canada’s North,” said Northwestel president Curtis Shaw. “We know broadband has the power to improve access to health and education, strengthen cultural connections and open up new regional economic opportunities in northern Canada. We look forward to the possibility of working with the CRTC to ensure every community shares in those benefits.”
Iristel, for its part, “proposes to upgrade our existing LTE mobile facilities in, and our transport, to five Northwest Territory communities including Aklavik, Norman Wells, Behchoko, Hay River and Fort Smith. (This) will result in an increase in capacity of our wireless broadband Internet network,” Iristel’s application reads.
“The upgrade will allow Ice (Wireless) to provide 25/5 data speeds within one year of approval of this application and to 50/10Mbps within five years as more robust, affordable transport becomes available,” the application continues.
“We hope the CRTC will accept applications from more than a single provider in the region in order to foster competition and avoid creating or perpetuating a monopoly by the incumbents,” said Samer Bishay, CEO of Iristel, to Cartt.ca, alluding to how Northwestel often gets the lion’s share of funding when it comes to northern connectivity.
The CRTC will announce funding for the projects it selects in 2020. A second call for applications will be launched this fall and it will be open to all types of projects in all eligible underserved areas across the country.
On June 3, the CRTC had launched its first call for applications for the Broadband Fund, starting in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut and all satellite-dependent communities.
“According to the latest data, in the Canadian territories, no households have access to a broadband Internet service that meets the CRTC’s universal service objective and 72% of major roads are not covered by LTE (Long-term evolution or 4G) mobile wireless service,” said the CRTC’s news release at the time.
“Up to 10% of the annual total will be provided to satellite-dependent communities that do not have any terrestrially based telecommunications facilities,” it added.
These proposals would change all that.
