Northwestel, Eutelsat OneWeb and Swedish Space Corp. launch first-ever Satellite Network Portal in Yellowknife.
YELLOWKNIFE, June 17, 2024—Northwestel and Eutelsat OneWeb launched a Satellite Network Portal (SNP) in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on the afternoon of June 14. It is the first facility of its kind in Yellowknife, located on the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
The Northwestel team were joined by special guests, including Micheal Proud, Director for Carrier and Enterprise with Eutelsat OneWeb, and Dan Narey, Business Development Director with the Swedish Space Corporation, both of whom spoke at the event. Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Atly, Darrell Beaulieu from Denendeh Investments, and members of the media were also in attendance.
This new SNP will deliver increased bandwidth, performance, and resiliency to all OneWeb services active today across Northern Canada. The facility was designed and developed by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) for Eutelsat OneWeb and built by Nahanni Construction. Northwestel will operate and maintain it. The project has brought international investment to the North and provided opportunities for local workers.
The SNP will reduce latency, increase bandwidth and performance, and create further resiliency in Eutelsat OneWeb’s low-Earth orbit network. These outcomes are expected to be a boon for entities operating in remote areas of Canada, including regional governments and those in the mining, utilities, healthcare, education, and energy sectors.
Howard Stanley, Vice President, Canada, Eutelsat OneWeb, said,
“Today, we’re excited to celebrate Eutelsat OneWeb’s ground station in Yellowknife. This achievement is a result of the hard work and expertise of our partners, Northwestel and Swedish Space Corporation. With our LEO connectivity now reaching coast to coast to coast, adding Yellowknife’s site boosts our network’s strength across Northern Canada, including the entire Arctic region.”
He added,
“Northwestel’s invaluable expertise has been critical, both in setting up Yellowknife and as a key partner to connect homes, communities, businesses and critical infrastructure. We are grateful for their support and look forward to our continued work together to see more innovations unfold in the north.”
“Investing in network infrastructure in the North isn’t just about serving homes with fast, reliable internet; it’s also about attracting investment to Northern Canada by providing the backbone their critical operations need. We’re proud that this partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb has brought economic benefit to the region, and we look forward to future opportunities to continue to grow Northern Canada,” Paul Gillard, Vice President of Business Markets, Northwestel, said.
At the inauguration, attendees were guided on a walkthrough of the site, witnessed a demonstration of the technology, and heard from our team members about what this technology means for the North.
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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 one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for Young People. The company is a subsidiary of Bell and provides service on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples across Canada's North. Find out more at www.nwtel.ca.
For media inquiries:
Northwestel Media Relations
(867) 455-4209
media@nwtel.ca
