The First Mile

Supported by the SSHRC-funded First Nations Innovation Project

Northern Ontario First Nations Upgrade from End-of-Life Microwave and Satellite Connections to Fibre Optic Cable to Deliver Broadband Services Northern Ontario - -Canada

26 communities in Northern Ontario can expect to have access to a new, faster broadband infrastructure by 2014.

13 of these remote First Nations presently receive satellite connectivity through the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite (NICSN). NICSN is a joint venture partnership between KO-KNET, the Kativik Regional Government in Quebec, and the Keewaytin Tribal Council in Manitoba. Communities receive connectivity through a non-profit satellite network managed from KO-KNET's hub in Sioux Lookout.

For more than 15 years, NAN First Nations have been developing innovative programs over this satellite infrastructure, including telemedicine and online education. A core vision behind their efforts was community ownership and control of the network infrastructure and broadband applications.

The Northwestern Ontario Broadband Expansion Initiative (NWOBEI) was initiated in the Spring of 2009 with the planning and funding applications. The construction work got underway in Spring 2011, and so far, the first phase of the project has been completed.

With the goal of laying 2300 km of fibre optic cable, the project aims to create a network that will connect these 26 satellite and terrestrial served Nishnawbe Aski Nations to high-speed, terrestrial fibre infrastructure. The network will help improve the quality of life in these remote and rural communities by creating network service jobs, and by improving access to existing broadband-enable distance education, health care, and government services.

Listen to Chief Gordon Beardy of Muskrat Dam First Nation discuss the Importance of of the Broadband Expansion Project:

Watch how the cables are being installed:

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