Northwestel rolls out unlimited Internet to Teslin and Fort Liard with Fibre-to-the-home.

Teslin, YT; and Fort Liard, NT, February 1, 2022 – Today, Northwestel launched Fibre-to-the-home service to homes and businesses in Teslin, YT and Fort Liard, NT. Residential customers in the two communities now have access to unlimited data, speeds of up to 250 Mbps, and the new digital streaming TV service, Northwestel TV Plus. High-speed unlimited Internet is now also available to businesses in the two communities.

Available Internet speeds in Teslin and Fort Liard now far surpass the CRTC’s universal service objective of 50 Mbps. Internet rates in the two communities now also match those available in major Northern centres. With Northwestel’s $10 price reductions on unlimited Internet plans last week, the company is moving towards making high-speed Internet a more accessible option for Northerners.

Residents can also access live HD TV content through the new Northwestel TV Plus, including made-in-the-North Community TV. Customers can watch on the big screen, phone, or tablet anytime for as little as $25 a month.

“We’re so excited to see more and more Northern communities connect to high-speed unlimited Internet with fibre” said Northwestel Vice President of Consumer Markets, Tammy April. “There’s a big jump from DSL to fibre. There are now almost 300 households across Teslin and Fort Liard that can upgrade to Internet speeds up to 16 times faster than previously possible. Thank you to the Teslin Tlingit Council, Village of Teslin, Hamlet of Fort Liard, and Acho Dene Koe First Nation for allowing us into your communities to make these improvements. Ultimately, connecting communities to fibre is about connecting people to opportunities – in work, school, health, and more.”

Northwestel is taking all precautions to ensure safe installation during the COVID-19 situation. Screening procedures are in place and technicians follow health and safety procedures throughout installation in the customers’ home.

Connecting the two communities to fibre is part of Northwestel’s Every Community project, a 3-year plan to bring high-speed unlimited Internet to 10,000 homes in the Yukon and NWT. The Every Community project is the company’s largest-ever construction initiative, funded by Northwestel’s own significant investments and $62 million in funding from the CRTC Broadband Fund.

Teslin and Fort Liard now join 6 other Northern communities with high-speed fibre connectivity. Hay River, Inuvik, Behchokǫ̀, Dawson City, Watson Lake, and Upper Liard connected to the North’s fastest home Internet technology earlier this year and in 2020.

Customers can order the new fibre Internet and TV services online at www.nwtel.ca.

Northwestel has implemented several special procedures to ensure customer and employee safety during the COVID-19 situation:

Customers can request their new fibre service installation online at nwtel.ca. This is to minimize congestion in our Northern call centres at this critical time. We ask that all customers use the online page to learn about what’s available and request their service.
Northwestel will limit the number of installations completed per week. This is to ensure adequate time for proper health and safety procedures so that the work can completed safely in the customers’ home.
Only single dwelling homes will be completed in the first phase of this project. Multi-dwelling homes (apartments buildings) and businesses require a more complex installation which will be done at a later phase.

About Northwestel

Northwestel is the largest telecommunications provider in Canada's north, serving 96 communities across Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia and Alberta. In 2020, Northwestel launched a 3-year Every Community plan to significantly improve broadband services for northern residents, governments and businesses using the latest fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technologies. Northwestel is a subsidiary of Bell and provides service on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples across Canada's North.

Northwestel media relations:
media@nwtel.ca
1-867-455-4209