As a final example of the ways that First Nations are taking on operations and maintenance of networking technologies, consider a community-based mobile phone project. Remember the Washaho Cree First Nation at Fort Severn, which we learned about in Unit 7?
That community is one of several in northern Ontario that can now access a locally owned and operated cellular phone service. The 400 or so people living in this fly-in community continue to practice a land-based lifestyle: hunting, trapping, and being out on the land. They have also established a local cellular phone service called Keewaytinook Mobile, which was set up in 2009. This system involves a 200-foot tower with a coverage radius of 30km. It connects to the rest of the world through the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN), which is a non-profit partnership between KNET, Broadband Communications North in Manitoba, and the Kativik Regional Government in the Inuit region of Nunavik (Quebec).
The Keewaytinook Mobile project involved several public and private sector partners, including the province of Ontario’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. KNET, working closely with local leadership, also signed an agreement with a commercial provider to lease a portion of commercial wireless spectrum for cellular use. This arrangement involved a partnership with the Dryden Municipal Telephone System, which has roaming agreements with many telecommunications companies.
You can learn more about the KM project in the two short videos below.
Video: Keewaytinook Mobile Cellular Development (2008)
Cellular Development Business Plan (2008)
Today, First Nations own and operate Keewaytinook Mobile in partnership with KNET and others. Most of the revenues go towards operational costs, with a percentage collected in a common fund to help with future expansion. This project resulted in economic development opportunities in the involved communities. For example, it creates jobs for a local technician and administrator in charge of selling phone cards and phones, and supporting minor technical issues. KNET provides assistance with issues like infrastructure design and funding applications.
Do you know of any other First Nations community networking projects? If so, please share your story in the unit wiki page below!