Northwestel announces completion of backup fibre loop; acquisition to close in 2025

BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel announced that it has completed the Canada North Fibre Loop (CNFL), a 3,857-kilometre fibre network in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The CNFL is a fibre network aimed at protecting Northerners in the region from telecom service disruptions caused by major infrastructure damage, according to Northwestel. It is made up of three fibre networks independently owned by the company, the Yukon government, and the N.W.T. government. The projects were also partly supported by federal funding. Northwestel’s portion of the network spans 1,930 kilometres and runs through the capitals of the two territories, Whitehorse and Yellowknife. The N.W.T. government’s network, dubbed the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link, runs 1,149 kilometres from Fort Simpson to Inuvik. The Yukon government’s 778-kilometre Dempster Fibre Line was the final addition to the loop and was completed in mid-September, connecting Inuvik to Dawson City. While owned by the government of Yukon, the Dempster Fibre Line is operated by Northwestel. Since taking over the line, Northwestel has “extensively tested” the Canada North Fibre Loop and it is now operational, according to the telco. “Today is a long-awaited day for Northwestel and our northern customers,” said Northwestel president Curtis Shaw in a Tuesday press release. “Threats to critical infrastructure are only growing across Canada, and private sector and government partners must come together to protect it. The Canada North Fibre Loop is a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together in true partnership. Northwestel is proud to deliver this next level of reliability and resiliency to our customers in Northern Canada.” The company explained that the CNFL will bring some much needed redundancy – backup infrastructure – to the region, which has been seeing significant disruptions to critical infrastructure due to the growing impacts of climate change. If part of a network breaks, redundancy helps to keep services online by directing traffic over backup facilities. “With the CNFL in place, if telecommunications infrastructure were damaged, internet and cellular traffic will flow in the opposite direction, ensuring minimal to no disruption for households and businesses along the loop,” Northwestel said in the release. READ MORE: – Northwestel redirecting Broadband Fund cash to rebuild network after fire damage in N.W.T. – CRTC receives final replies on service to Far North “The CNFL represents a transformative leap for telecommunications in the North and should significantly enhance our customers’ internet service experience, protecting them from disruptions, whether from planned network maintenance or external factors like natural disasters,” Northwestel vice president of customer experience Tammy April was quoted saying on the company’s website. “The loop ushers in a new age of greater connectivity for Northerners, and is a major step in bridging the digital divide between Canada’s North and South,” she added. “While this is a significant milestone, Northwestel continues to advocate for additional telecommunications protection and redundancy in Northern Canada. Northwestel now has connections into Alaska to draw on more capacity and has partnered with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, who together are seeking partners to bring submarine fibre under Great Slave Lake to further protect Yellowknife,” the company said. Sixty North Unity acquisition expected to close in 2025 Back in June, Sixty North Unity – a consortium of Indigenous communities from the Yukon, N.W.T., and Nunavut – announced plans to buy Northwestel from Bell for almost $1 billion. According to a Monday post on the company’s website, that deal is expected to close next year. Once completed, Northwestel says it would make the company the world’s largest telecom company with full Indigenous ownership. news@thewirereport.ca

Northwestel announces completion of backup fibre loop; acquisition to close in 2025

Telecom |
By Wire Report Staff
| November 26, 2024

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Telecom | By Wire Report Staff | November 26, 2024

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Telecom |
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