Northwestel announces high-speed internet service in Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson

Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., October 23, 2024 – Northwestel is excited to announce the launch of high-speed fibre internet in the communities of Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. The Dempster Fibre Line (DFL), which passes through both communities en route to Inuvik, and Northwestel’s significant investments in in-community fibre have made this new service offering possible. The improvements were also funded by the CRTC Broadband Fund.

For the first time, residential customers in Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson now have access to unlimited Northwestel internet packages and download speeds of up to 700 Megabits per second (Mbps). Meanwhile businesses can benefit from speeds up to 550 Mbps, with our team working to achieve speeds of 750 Mbps for businesses in the very near future.

The arrival of high-speed, unlimited internet in Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson means that residents in both communities can now subscribe to Northwestel’s TV Plus service. TV Plus offers access to a seemingly endless roster of popular shows, movies, sports, and live events. Subscribers can also access a vast catalogue of streaming apps, both while at home and out and about.

"This marks a significant milestone in improving connectivity for our communities in the North,” said Curtis Shaw, President at Northwestel. “With the DFL now operational, we’re delivering faster internet to residents and businesses in Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson while also addressing the digital divide between the North’s most remote communities and the rest of the country.”

“It is very exciting for both communities that fibre internet has arrived. This is a long-awaited development, and I am confident that it will be well-received by our existing customers and help us to welcome new subscribers to the Northwestel family,” Dean Charlie, a community technician based in Fort McPherson, said.

Northwestel invites community members to contact us with their questions regarding the new internet service and book their service installation today. For more information or to book an installation, please contact our Customer Care team at 1-888-423-2333 or visit nwtel.ca.

Quick facts:

The Dempster Fibre Line (DFL) project is a 778-kilometre fibre optic line that follows the Dempster Highway from Dawson City, Yukon, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
Before completing the DFL, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson got their internet service via DSL, which limited download speeds to a maximum of 15 Mbps
The DFL was commissioned by the Yukon Government and built by a third-party contractor. It will be a public asset owned by the Yukon government. Northwestel will lease and operate the line for 20 years.
The DFL connects the Government of Northwest Territories’ existing Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link in Inuvik to our fibre network in Dawson—closing the 4,000-kilometre Canada North Fibre Loop (CNFL). The closing of the CNFL will add incredible resiliency to Northwestel’s network and ensure that internet remain operational during a disruption.

About Northwestel

Northwestel is the largest telecommunications provider in Canada’s North, serving 97 communities across the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia and Alberta. Beginning in 2020, Northwestel’s Every Community project significantly improved broadband services for northern residents, governments, and businesses using the latest fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technologies. Now, over 95% of homes in Yukon and NWT have access to high-speed, unlimited fibre-powered internet, either fibre to the home or fibre to the neighbourhood. Northwestel is proud to provide service on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples across Canada’s North.

For interview requests or questions, please reach out to Catherine Newsome, Director of Marketing & Communications, at media@nwtel.ca and (867) 455-4209.