Broadband for Nunavut :
From Vision to Reality
The Qiniq network delivers Broadband connectivity to the 25 communities in Nunavut, Canada. Servicing a population of 29,000 people dispersed over 2 million square miles, the Qiniq network improves the lives of Nunavummiut by providing access to cost effective Broadband connectivity. This enables residents of Nunavut to access on-line services, educational content, electronic commerce and in general, utilize modern Internet technologies. This was previously impossible, as no Broadband infrastructure existed that the average person could readily make use of, due to cost and availability factors.
The Qiniq network is the culmination of the work of many individuals and organizations who have labored for years to make the Qiniq network a reality. Qiniq itself was largely conceived of and deployed by two organizations, the Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation and SSI Micro. The path to Qiniq, however, is much more complicated. Many people and organizations helped shape its ultimate design and model of this network. This page is intended to give readers an understanding of the history of Broadband in Nunavut, and how it relates to the Qiniq network.
Ancient History (ancient in “Internet” years!)
The story of envisioning a Northern Broadband network is one that started in the early 1990’s, shortly after the Internet started to become recognized by the wider world. A small group of people in the Northwest Territories recognized the potential benefits the Internet could provide to people living in remote, Northern communities, some of which are accessible only by plane or boat. At this time, Nunavut was still part of the Northwest Territories – Nunavut did not become its own territory until April of 1999.
People started to recognize the potential benefits of Internet connectivity. People realized that the Internet could be used to deliver various services to people around the North – initial interest was in the areas of health, education, social connections, family support, language preservation, cultural archiving, video conferencing and research. People dreamed of being able to view their land from space, and of being able to meet “face to face” in the virtual world, using the Internet as an enabling technology.
In the early/mid 1990’s, people had great hopes for what the Internet could bring to the North. We wanted the Internet to help us build our communities, which at the time had sparse libraries, few or non-existent government services, minimal private sector development and in most cases, limited educational opportunities. People felt that the Internet held the promise to be the Nunavut’s best option for a “road” – our “information highway”, our way to communicate and interact with the rest of the world.
While we saw the potential of the Internet, we also saw the potential problems and impact on Nunavummiut culture and lifestyle. We wanted to make sure our information highway would be built with our needs in mind.
In 1994, a conference was held, entitled “Connecting the North.” Hundreds of people from across Canada’s North collaborated to discuss the issues surrounding the Internet, and how it could make an impact on the residents of our communities. At the time, there were no Internet connection in Nunavut, so most communication was done by teleconference and fax, both of which were not overly reliable, efficient or cost effective. This further underscored the potential benefits of a robust, cost effective communication solution – something that the Internet promised to deliver.
>From this conference, a coherent vision was born. In 1995 and as a direct result of this conference, “Northern Voices on the Information Highway” was born. This document outlined many of the details surrounding Internet in the North, including:
- The need for adequate infrastructure, accessible and affordable for all residents
- The importance of cultural and language concerns, relating to the Internet
- The need for training to enable residents to take advantage of this new technology
- The opportunity to develop new business initiatives using the Internet
- That all levels of government and private sector should be involved
- That the deployment of suitable infrastructure would be costly
- That it would be extremely difficult to make a positive business case for this initiative
By 1999, when Nunavut was created, there was a government network in place that provided some connectivity to government workers in 11 of the 25 Nunavut communities. This was not a publicly accessible network, however, and was extremely costly. It did not enable most residents to directly access the Internet and was so cost prohibitive that very few private companies were able to afford to use this technology to deliver a consumer oriented Internet service.
There were, however, several organizations that saw the need to deliver Internet connectivity to the people in Nunavut. In 1999, the Kitikmeot Corporation was a pioneer in this area. They were able to raise adequate funding to deploy a small satellite network, servicing the communities in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. While this initiative did not service a large portion of Nunavut, it was a very important step for Internet Connectivity in the North. The Kitikmeot Corporation continued to operate this network for several years, at an overall financial loss. They were willing to provide the service as a social benefit, though it was clear that servicing several of their smaller communities would never be profitable, or even “break even.”
Two other organizations were also able to provide Internet services around this time. Based in Rankin Inlet, Sakku Arctic Technologies began offering basic dialup and email services in the community of Rankin Inlet. Over time, they grew to offer additional services, and to this day continue to operate a successful Internet business. Sakku had the advantage of operating in one of the largest communities, and was therefore able to make a positive business case for providing Internet service.
Nunanet Worldwide Communications was the other large Internet provider in Nunavut, at this time. Operating out of Iqaluit, Nunanet serviced the largest market in Nunavut with dialup Internet access, dedicated access and various other services.
While all of this was happening in the North, the Internet really started to take off, globally. Everyone was getting connected. People were able to connect at much higher speeds, and new technologies were cropping up to take advantage of this speed increase. As a result, expectations grew, and it quickly became apparent that dial-up connectivity was no longer acceptable for many users in the North. It was slow, and very costly –people paid as much as $500.00 per month for basic dialup services. People wanted to be able to transmit large files, use video conferencing and perform other tasks that are impossible to do on a narrow-band connection. There was a high level of dissatisfaction with the existing communications infrastructure and a strong push to bring better technology into Canada’s North.
The 21 st Century Brings Hope
A large subsidy program was announced by the Federal government in 2001, to connect Canadians in remote and rural regions. This development triggered a great deal of interest and excitement across Nunavut – there was suddenly a funding program specifically crafted to enable remote and rural sites across Canada to bring Broadband infrastructure into their communities.
With the hope that a federal subsidy could be accessed some time in the future, Nunavut created the Nunavut Broadband Task Force. This working group was made up of private sector companies, Government of Nunavut officials, and Inuit organizations concerned with developing a sustainable, useful broadband network.
 Task Force Report cover |
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The Impossible becomes Possible
In the fall of 2002, Industry Canada announced the Broadband for Rural and Nor
thern Development (BRAND) Program. This program – while much smaller than the one announced the year before – was to become the catalyst for Nunavut to pull the resources together to eventually build the Qiniq network.
The Nunavut Broadband Task Force members created the Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation (NBDC), a not-for-profit corporation representing members of the public. With initial start-up funds from Industry Canada, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and contributions in kind from various Nunavut-based organizations, NBDC pulled together a 600 page business plan detailing every aspect of a sustainable network. The vision was to initially fund the building of the network through government and industry, and then sustain it through users purchasing affordable services from the network.
As part of the business plan, NBDC ran a Request for Proposals, looking for the least-cost, most efficient solution to build a network that met Nunavut’s needs. This could be no ordinary network. With the high demand from Nunavut residents to be able to “see” each other – for family connections, training, education – even banking (where 22 of 25 communities have no bank!) – we knew we would need to have a robust network that could expand as more and more residents took advantage of what broadband could offer.
NBDC solicited proposals from various vendors, asking them to propose a network design to handle the Broadband requirements for the entire territory of Nunavut. After reviewing all of the submissions, NBDC awarded the network contract to SSI Micro, a Yellowknife-based company with years of experience in delivering satellite and Broadband services.
The network proposed by SSI Micro had a number of interesting features, including:
- A full mesh network, enabling any site to talk to any other site in a single satellite hop. This is particularly important for video conferencing.
- Support for dynamic bandwidth allocation, allowing satellite bandwidth to be effectively shared between all of our communities, based on demand. On a second by second basis, the QINIQ network re-allocates bandwidth to ensure that communities who need the bandwidth, get it.
- Several technologies to enhance the performance of the overall network, including TCP/IP acceleration, transparent caching, and several others.
- A licensed wireless municipal distribution. SSI Micro had a solid plan for connecting community residents to the satellite network, utilizing licensed wireless technology.
SSI Micro also had a long history of working on successful Internet-based projects in the North. They had worked with all of the three major Internet Providers in Nunavut; Polarnet (Kitikmeot Corporation), Nunanet, and Sakku Arctic. They had assisted the Kativik Regional Government in the design and deployment of their regional network which services 14 communities in Northern Quebec . They had also done several International projects which demonstrated their ability to work in a variety of environments.
The Network Infrastructure Gets Funded
Funding for the QINIQ Network has occurred just as it was envisioned in the 1990’s by community members in the Connecting the North forum – everyone has helped to finance this network. Governments of all levels and the private sector contributed to the start up; and the users in communities will ensure its sustainability.
The federal government was the first organization to provide infrastructure funding, through the BRAND program. The NBDC business plan of June 6, 2003 was approved in October of 2003 by Industry Canada for 24 of the 25 communities in Nunavut. Less than half of the required funds to build the network were available from the BRAND program – a total of $3,885,000 out of an equipment cost of over nine million dollars.
The private sector came to the table: SSI Micro offered $1.6 million in contributions in kind – equipment that they had already installed in 10 of the larger communities.
Individuals volunteered, acting as NBDC staff, as board members, as technology support staff and as advisors throughout this exciting period. Several people working for various levels of government worked well beyond their day job to move this project forward.
Several Inuit organizations got involved. Atuqtuarvik Corporation – a venture capital fund created by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., agreed to provide $3,000,000 worth of debt financing. Kakivak Association, an Inuit organization representing Baffin Island Inuit, provided a critical loan guarantee on extremely short notice to secure the Industry Canada funds.
The Government of Nunavut got involved. The Nunavut Business Credit Corporation (a crown corporation under the Government of Nunavut Department of Economic Development and Transportation) agreed to loan NBDC the final $777,000 required to release Kakivak from its loan guarantee, and to cover the costs of including Iqaluit in the network – which had been excluded from the Industry Canada funding.
By the end of April, 2004, the only level of government missing was the Municipalities…
The Municipalities Join the Team
In the original SSI design of the network, the 10 largest communities were slated for a more expensive/capable licensed wireless distribution system. The smaller 15 communities were slated for a different wireless system, commonly known as WiFi. SSI Micro had envisioned a more cost effective solution for smaller communities, as WiFi technology had been deployed successfully in other small communities in the western arctic (under 1000 people.)
After much discussion, it became apparent that the smaller municipalities wanted equal technical capabilities as larger communities. They wanted the same opportunities for using future technologies and did not want to be saddled with what was perceived as an inferior wireless product. The licensed wireless solution seemed to promise a more robust service that would better suit all Nunavut communities, both large and small. The potential to use the MCS service on the land intrigued people, and the reliability and consistency of systems from community to community were critical to the smaller communities.
Because of the issues raised by municipalities in May of 2004, NBDC worked with Municipalities to find another $650,000 to provide the larger system (2.5 GH z) into all 25 Nunavut communities. In order to raise the necessary funds in a very short space of time, all levels of government came to the table.
First, 22 out of 25 community municipalities voted to contribute $10,000 each. Seven of these communities were already slated for the larger system – but their Hamlet councils voted “YES” to provide funds to the service, so that all communities in Nunavut could have the same wireless capability. Talk about coming together! These Municipal contributions sent a strong message to the Governments of Nunavut and Canada. Many Hamlets had to make very difficult choices in order to contribute – as one SAO said “we chose this wireless system over funding a public playground…so please make sure it works!”
The Government of Nunavut’s departments of Community Government Services and Economic Development and Transportation both agreed to match the Municipal contributions – by providing one-third of the funds needed. Finally, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada made up the final one-third of the funds required toward the upgrade.
The “wireless upgrade” project showed how every level of government – from the Hamlet councillor to the Minister of INAC contributed to ensure equality of access to broadband services.
Building the Network: Deadline March 31 st, 2005
As part of our funding requirements, Industry Canada insisted that the network be built in one year – before March 31 st of 2005. This was a tall order for SSI Micro, as the sealift season serving Nunavut communities was very short, and the winter comes very early. SSI Micro’s original plan had a two-year build time frame, but they agreed modify their deployment schedule and install everything in one year.
When the final financing was secured on April 22 nd, 2004, SSI Micro immediately began the deployment process. The first thing they did was place equipment orders. Because the equipment had to be transported into the communities via sealift, it was critical that the equipment was ordered and shipped to the barge operators in time for this year’s barge season. Many late nights were worked, and many suppliers were asked to work overtime to deliver on schedule. In the end, all of the equipment was sourced in time for the barge trip.
By June of 2004, SSI Micro was in full swing, marshalling equipment onto ships in Montreal, destined for Nunavut communities. Custom communication shelters were designed and built and shipped to the docks in Montreal . SSI Micro staff flew down from Yellowknife to pre-assemble a lot of the electronics, test it, and repack it into the custom shelters for the journey north. Civil engineering visits were performed in each community, to select appropriate locations for satellite dishes, communications shelters and antenna towers. Contractors were located and hired to complete the earth station foundation work in each community.
Once everything was in place, SSI Micro started their installation process. They chartered an aircraft, loaded it with an intrepid crew of field personnel and embarked upon a journey to every community in Nunavut.
The community installation trips were no easy task. For one thing, because of scheduling, a lot of the installation work had to occur during the winter months. On several occasions the crew was re-routed or delayed due to blizzard conditions and high winds. Of course, when they were able to reach their destinations, they often had to work in -30 degree celcius weather, complete with blowing snow and high winds. Putting a 4.5 meter earth station antenna in place in high winds is not an easy task.
The crew encountered all sorts of interesting problems during their journey. In some communities, they could not locate heavy equipment (a loader, or a bucket truck) to lift the dish into place – as such, it had to be done manually, using a pulley system. Lifting a 1,000 pound antenna on top of an 8 foot foundation, by hand, can be somewhat tricky! In another community, they did locate heavy equipment (a loader), but were charged $5000.00 per day to rent the unit – an unforeseen cost!
In a third community, a civil contractor could not be located, so SSI Micro had to fly in a supply of concrete, a concrete mixer, and three adventurous staff members to build the foundation. It was hard work, but at the end of that trip, the foundation was in place and the earth station was erected. Mission accomplished.
Another problem SSI Micro had to deal with was the “case of the missing satellite antenna crates.” The Nunavut barge operator accidentally shipped one of the satellite dishes to the wrong community. Grise Fiord ended up with TWO earth station antennas, and the community of Clyde River had none! Unfortunately, Grise Fiord is THE most remote Northern location, and it was extremely difficult to come up with a plan to get the crates moved out of that community to their rightful place in Clyde River. Thankfully, SSI Micro was able to locate a plane that was (a) small enough to land in Grise Fiord, and (b) large enough to transport the antenna crates to Clyde River . The community of Clyde River pitched in to help cover the costs, along with the shipping company and SSI Micro.
There were many occurrences like this – all unique and for the most part, unavoidable. Doing business in the North can be tricky, and you have got to be prepared for surprises. Fortunately, SSI Micro was able to work past all of the problems they encountered and deliver the network, on time and on budget.
The CSPs
Putting the physical infrastructure into each Nunavut community is a huge job. At the same time, the key to an overall successful project lay in the development of a ‘people’ infrastructure. Our vision was to have at least one local person in every Nunavut community trained to install wireless modems, handle basic troubleshooting and collect payment for services.
This network of people came together in the summer of 2004. We called them Community Services Providers, or “CSPs.”
Each CSP brings a different skill set to the QINIQ network. Some are experienced Internet Service Providers. One owns a cable company, while another owns a construction company. One CSP runs a Co-op, and another owns a hotel. Each community has a different kind of person as a CSP with a unique background. Each brings a wealth of knowledge to the task.
By mid-November of 2004, all CSPs had completed a week long workshop on the main tasks that they would be responsible for in their community. It was just the beginning of their involvement with QINIQ. A great deal of knowledge was
exchanged between the CSPs, SSI Micro, and NBDC. Together, many ideas came out on how best to serve community members. Once the conference was complete, much more work was done to further refine the CSP model. Conference calls were held. E-mail thread reached epic proportions. A strong, shared vision was created for what CSPs had to be able to accomplish, what skills they needed to learn, and what benefits they could bring to their communities. We know that the key to the success of Qiniq lay in providing excellent, personal service in communities. The CSPs are the people who will ensure that broadband services respond to the needs of the communities.
The Bandwidth Story - Patience, Patience, Patience!!!
NBDC and SSI Micro had hoped to launch the first 10 communities in November of 2004. Customer revenue is the main way in which the network will survive, and SSI Micro and NBDC were anxious to get started generating revenue, as costs continued to pile up, with no revenue to offset the costs. By December of 2004, the infrastructure was installed and operational in 15 communities.
However, no communities were launched in 2004 as hoped. This is the point at which people in Nunavut showed fantastic patience while the promised bandwidth subsidy came together.
In the original plan, the Federal Government approved funds toward the purchase of equipment. Understanding that this was not enough in order for Nunavut to build a network, they also promised a bandwidth subsidy for 10 years to help defray the satellite bandwidth costs. This subsidy would be coming from another fund called the National Satellite Initiative – an initiative under Infrastructure Canada – a different federal department.
The bandwidth subsidy is critical to the sustainable operation of the network – as the influx of cash each year would defray some satellite expense s, and free up network revenue to pay back the $4 million worth of debt that had been incurred building the network. Initially the bandwidth subsidy paperwork was scheduled for completion in August of 2004. However, because Industry Canada and Infrastructure Canada were restructured following the federal election in June of 2004 – delays ensued.
As it turned out, NBDC was the very first community organization in Canada to receive a cash contribution from the NSI program. This meant that NBDC was one of the first organizations to go through the entire funding process, and as a result, some delays were encountered. Because the NSI process was new within the federal government, the finalizing of the bandwidth took many months longer than expected.
NBDC was forced to announce continued delays to the launch of the network due to the delays in the bandwidth subsidy. People called and emailed and offered to write personal letters to everyone from Nunavut ’s MP to the Prime Minister. Government of Nunavut officials called and wrote Ministers in Ottawa . Our MP delivered letters to federal ministers. Staff in Industry Canada and Infrastructure Canada worked to move the Treasury Board submission forward. There was a great push to move this issue through the bureaucratic process, and in the end, this was achieved.
The Future
So now Nunavut residents have an affordable broadband network. What next?
NBDC will work to stimulate new northern specific applications for Nunavut residents –applications that support and promote culture and language. NBDC will work on a training strategy to ensure that people in Nunavut can access the training they need to make the most of broadband.
NBDC will continue to support the Community Service Providers with the expectation that as time goes by, every community in Nunavut will have leaders in Broadband services and applications – and these people will stimulate the use of Broadband and strengthen the local economy.
SSI Micro and the CSPs will run the network – so that it is sustainable and effective in the long term. NBDC’s job will be to act as a watchdog on behalf of the Nunavut public, ensuring that citizens are receiving affordable services that meet their needs.
The people of Nunavut will purchase affordable services, and their purchases will ensure that the network will remain in place into the future.
The story of how the QINIQ network came to be involves efforts from people from all over Nunavut , all levels of government, and the private sector. The vision of the 1990s, the support of everyone involved, and the patience to see it through have finally come together to ensure Nunavut residents have affordable access to Broadband services.
If you have a story of how access to broadband affects your personal life, your family life, your work life, your culture, business, or anything at all – we would love to hear it. Visit our contact page and tell us about your visions of broadband – and help to build the future of broadband in Nunavut!
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