News Summary

The Canadian federal government is investing $13 million to improve high-speed internet access for 869 Indigenous households across nine communities in the Northwest Territories. The funding is part of a collaboration with Northwestel and Ottawa-based Telesat, utilizing both fibre and satellite internet technologies. Currently, about 85.7% of households in the territory meet federal internet speed standards, and this project aims to close the remaining gap, aligning with Canada’s broader goal of connecting 98% of households by 2026 and 100% by 2030. The initiative is linked to Telesat’s upcoming Lightspeed network, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation, which has received significant public funding, including $2.14 billion in federal loans and $400 million from Quebec. Despite American investment influences, the project is a key component of Canada’s strategy to bridge the digital divide, although the technology is still in development with no production satellites currently in orbit.