Nunavik internet speeds up, but still lags behind South

KANGIRSUK — If you’re surfing the web in Nunavik, you’ll notice your internet connection has become much faster — and will continue to speed up until the end of 2011.

That’s thanks to two major agreements which the Kativik Regional Government signed in March with the governments of Canada and Quebec on broadband Internet access.

These two deals will provide more than $10 million to boost the speed of internet offered by the KRG’s internet provide Tamaani.

Canada is giving about $7.4 million to Tamaani through Industry Canada’s Connecting Rural Canadians program, while Quebec’s $3 million is funneled through the government’s new Fonds pour la réalisation d’initiatives régionales et locales [regional and local initiatives fund] under Plan Nord.

Telesat and the KRG have also earmarked $2 million and $2.4 million towards the project.

The higher-speed services are expected to roll out before the end of 2011, when Taamani’s home users will see twice the speed they now have on their internet connection and “power users” will see their speed triple.

But even with this increase, Tamaani’s internet speed lags far behind that enjoyed by internet users in Montreal. Tamaani’s lower capacity means its best internet connection is about 20 times slower than in southern Quebec.

Still, Tamaani’s speed has increased 20 times since the internet service provider started operations in 2004, said Joe Lance, assistant general director of the KRG.

Nunavik still has a long way to go, but “at least we’re going to improve and provide better service,” Lance said.

What the region really needs is a fibre optic network, which, after installation, would be able to supply cheaper access to internet than that now provided through satellite, he said.

A feasibility study for connecting Nunavik via a fibreoptic network will be done even while Tamaani continues to improve its satellite-based network, he said.

In Nunavik, Tamaani serves over 150 businesses and organizations and more than 1,800 residential clients.

Tamaani is also responsible for operating the Nunavik portion of a new telecommunications network for public-sector organizations across Quebec, linking community health clinics and health centres in Kuujjuaq and Puvirnituq with health care professionals in the southern Quebec.

The installation of telecommunications equipment for this purpose was completed in all Nunavik communities this past March.