CRTC fibre optic funding would benefit ‘all of Nunavut,’ minister says

Telecommunications regulator announced conditional $271.9M to connect 4 communities to Nunavik network

Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie says bringing fibre optic service to four Nunavut communities would benefit the entire territory. He is seen here entering the legislative assembly in May. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)

By Jeff Pelletier - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Updated on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 6:25 p.m.

Linking four Nunavut communities to Nunavik’s fibre optic network would benefit the territory’s other hamlets by freeing up satellite service bandwidth, says Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced July 4 conditional funding of $271.9 million for Nunavut to build a 1,300-kilometre fibre optic network connecting Iqaluit, Kinngait, Kimmirut and Coral Harbour to Kativik Regional Government’s Tamaani high-speed network.

“Having four communities impacted goes a long way,” Joanasie said in an interview.

“There’s an opportunity to link to that and build a partnership between the Government of Nunavut and the KRG.”

KRG has already connected seven Hudson Coast communities to the new network. Off the coast of Salluit, workers left extra cable underwater so the GN could link to the new network.

Currently, Nunavut communities rely on satellite technologies to connect to the internet.

This fibre optic connection — including to Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital and most populous community — would offset some of the satellite use in other communities, Joanasie said.

“[Satellites] have their own certain amount of bandwidth you can pursue with that, and fibre continues to be unmatched,” he said.

“It’s better for all of Nunavut, and not just those four communities.”

The CRTC is the independent regulator of broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada. It is funded by fees collected from the industries it regulates.

Joanasie said that with funding from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund, the GN could use its own money on other things such as housing and infrastructure.

Previous attempts at establishing a fibre network in Nunavut have been floated but faltered.

The Katittuq Nunavut fibre project, which would have connected Nunavut to Labrador, stalled due to funding issues.

“To ensure the highest likelihood of creating a successful project, we can draw on some of the work that was done for the Katittuq project” and also examine previous applications to the CRTC, Joanasie said.

He expressed optimism about the Nunavik connection, but noted there’s a lot of work ahead.

The GN must prove it has Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s support in order to secure the funding from the CRTC. Joanasie said his department is working on that.

The CRTC decision also outlines several other steps, including the need to submit statements of work, as well as a three-year completion goal.

Joanasie said the project has support from Iqaluit and the three hamlets as well as the two regional Inuit associations and the hunters and trappers associations that would be affected.

However, it would need to go through approval processes with the Nunavut Planning Commission and the Nunavut Impact Review Board, and require support in the legislative assembly.

Overall, Joanasie said this project is “a long time coming.”

Nunatsiaq News asked NTI if it would support the fibre optic project — one of the CRTC’s conditions for giving the funding.

NTI said in an emailed statement that it is reviewing the project and could not comment on whether it supports the project until it had time to review the proposal. The statement was sent by email by NTI spokesperson Ivaluarjuk Merritt after this story was published online.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from its original version to include a statement from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., that was received after the original version was published online.

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(24) Comments:

  1. Posted by 867 on

    Starlink is rolling its eyes

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    • Posted by SARCASM on

      I think , it would be cheaper to give everybody in those 4 towns , free starlink equiptment and give the free internet for a year , after you get the people to take over payment .

  2. Posted by quarter billion on

    Quarter billion dollars for 10k people? just to get them faster and slightly more reliable internet than Starlink?

    People complain about Quebec getting too much money, and here’s Nunavut with 271 million!! for internet !!

    what the holy hell

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  3. Posted by Articrick on

    Wrong Minister, it “benefits” 4 communities.

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  4. Posted by Olasuka on

    Why does the GN need NTI’s ok to go ahead, NTI is funded by the Feds, is it not? The Feds is funded by our tax dollars, so move ahead GN, we say. No need for NTI to have any say, we are the people paying for it, NOT NTI.

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    • Posted by Normand Marineau on

      It’s that BS called everyone should be consulted. I’m surprised some sort of HTA is not involved lol

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    • Posted by 59009 on

      it’s a nice way of saying “padding the pockets of their board members”

  5. Posted by free starlink on

    The truth is the government should just look into providing every Nunavut Home free Starlink. Yes it’s not quite as fast as fibre but guess what, if they used the 100’s of millions to buy the equipment and pay the monthly subscription, every community in Nunavut would have free internet for everyone for the next 10-15 years. Tech will have changed by then anyway and they can look at the new solution then.

    Starlink just launched the Starlink mini in Canada which makes it portable, and the direct-to-cell is coming in the next 2 years. So why use a tech that is limited to your home? This may be okay for Iqaluit (people who never go out anywhere, anyway) but most all other communities want to have mobile freedom with there service and Starlink is moving towards this. Fibre is a set location and that’s it.
    As a personal user I would rather have free internet that I can take to the cabin, out fishing, to another community more then a slightly faster service. Mobility makes more sense over fibre any day in the remote communities with a nomadic lifestyle.

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  6. Posted by yes to free Starlink on

    This comment is right…. Lets work this out.

    Starlink equipment is $199 (could probably get a better bulk deal) X lets say 15,000 households (which is way over estimating) = $3 million rounded slightly.
    $150 month X 12 = $1,800 X 15,000 households = $27 million/year service cost X 10 years = $270 million.

    So in total we could ALL (every community) have free internet for the exact same price as the fibre for 4 communities…
    This is a no brainer.

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    • Posted by No Brainer on

      There is the magic word. +++Free++
      If you don’t agree with having fiber available in your community/house, why don’t you buy yourself a Starlink dish and the mobile subscription. Problem solved.

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      • Posted by Redumbdant on

        Why would somebody pay for fibre and for Starlink? Because that’s what they should do, according to you. Pay their share of tax dollars towards fibre and then also go and buy Starlink.

        The free Starlink comments are for the sake of comparison. Because you’re spending $272 million for fibre, which is then going to charged to people at a monthly plan, when you could literally pay for every person in Nunavut to have Starlink for the next 10-15 years with the same amount of money.

        If you want a different analogy, maybe they could use the money to subsidize Starlink (because that’s essentially what this capital spending does for fibre internet, it’s paying for the infrastructure to lower the end-user internet prices). Maybe they could subsidize every household $75/month for Starlink internet. With 10,000 households in Nunavut, you could do that for 30 years for $272M. Theoretically, if you took $272M and invested it in any decent dividend fund, you could subsidize $75/month to every household in Nunavut in perpetuity (that means forever, No Brainer).

        It’s very valid to be questioning whether or not this is a wise use of resources.

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        • Posted by Cost on

          Do you have an idea how much the GN actually pays for their satellite bandwidth? The cost for the installation of fiber connections and usage, will quickly turn into a ROI which will free up needed funds for other needed capital projects. In addition, the new fiber connections will benefit all organizations, federal and Inuit alike to become more efficient. Part of the new bandwidth will most likely offered to NWTel and Qiniq as well, and Nunavummiut will benefit from higher speeds, more or unlimited data usage for a much lower cost. There should be nothing like “free”.
          Do your homework first.

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  7. Posted by Consult the consultant on

    Funny SSI micro or NWTel hasn’t complained yet, theirs a revolving door to internet funding in the North, the feds pass big bucks around to these companies and in the end both have starlink terminals at their towers lol.. This fiber thing has been in the works since the Internet meetings they had around 2009 in Iqaluit..Mister Premier was just a young fellow back then representing NTI, theirs videos online of these meetings

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  8. Posted by bad dad simeonie on

    all hail elon starlink,hail

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  9. Posted by Why… on

    Starlink has essentially revolutionized internet up here within years.

    What has SSI Micro or NWTEL done in all their years except take federal handouts and charged absurd data rates, they built up nothing, just rode out being first to market and decided not to move forward or make things better.

    Look at Starlink, its still progressing, its only gotten better and better to the point now where its vastly better than the fibre in Yellowknife even. Now they also have different offerings hat much better accompany the lifestyle up here of being on the land, soon cell to sat communications, starlink mini which is just releasing which looks like it can easily be taken anywhere via quad, skidoo, boat, etc. Previously the roam package existed which still make it relatively easy to take around but this makes it even easier with pay as you go packages.

    We should be using this money to further drive incentives for the companies actually making progress and making meaningful impacts on us, not the legacy NWTEL, SSI people who have sat feeding at the trough for years that have done little to nothing. NWTEL is more disgraceful yet, look at their infrastructure, in shambles with some of the poorest customer service.

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  10. Posted by art thompson on

    nobody cares what it costs. its not nunavut taxpayer cash. when has the nunavut governments ever turn down a free ride?

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  11. Posted by inooya on

    “Linking four Nunavut communities to Nunavik’s fibre optic network would benefit the territory’s other hamlets by freeing up satellite service bandwidth, says Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie.” How does it free up bandwidth? All 25 communities now have QiniQ using Starlink or people have there own. So how does it free up bandwidth?

  12. Posted by I live in the Arctic on

    271 million dollars, jeepers, some good money to be made if you’re in the right business.

  13. Posted by Myohmy on

    WOW !! $$272,000,000.00 ? Really NTI ? Who’s decision is it ? Comes down to one-1 person. Good for 272 more houses with Starlink installed. What for ? Starlink has revolutionized internet coming with direct to cell this fall in some areas of Canada and stated to be working this fall . Fibre link will only cost more . Starlink will have direct to cell soon in the rest of the arctic, so why have Fibre if you can take it with you anywhere you go on this planet?.

  14. Posted by Gordon Kukkuvak on

    fibre-optic been on the agenda for years and years now but money must be spent else where? it isn’t for whole Nunavutmiut more like bigger communities just like Nunavut 3000 housing corruption we pay the damage and we get nothing in return this Nunavut Government needs to be cleaned up from top to bottom seriously

    • Posted by Inuk guy on

      Run for office Gordon! Election coming next fall.

  15. Posted by Free Up Bandwidth on

    It’s very simple. Iqaluit is currently the biggest user of the available Starlink (low orbit satellites) and C Band (high orbit satellites). C Band is the most expensive solution, but also very reliable. Starlink is a pure data solution, just like Netcaster or Xplornet was/is.

    Basically, the bandwidth saved in those 4 communities can easily be added to the remaining communities, this is just programming

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  16. Posted by alex on

    Starlink is a great service. Comparing Starlink(or LEO) and Fibre, isn’t really useful. Fibre is much better for backbone services, its so good, that starlink(LEO’s) relies on it all over NA for their teleport. By having fibre to Iqaluit, it could improve Starlink(LEO’s) services for all of Nunavut by having teleport capacity with a terrestrial link out of Iqaluit. Diversifying communications is good. To what price, that is always up for debate.

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  17. Posted by Observer on

    Why fibre? Because the satellites in the Starlink constellation requires replacement every 5 years. If, for whatever reason, SpaceX can’t maintain it, then very quickly there’s nothing.

Comments are closed.