InukNet seeks to make data overage fees thing of the past

Satellite internet service plans to launch end of 2023; expansion plans 2024

By

Wright

A newly formed telecom company is seeking to make data overage fees a thing of the past, InukNet Communications, announced on April 27 is seeking to initially roll-out in Nunavut’s 25 communities by the end of 2023 utilizing satellite technology.

The new company was formed through a partnership between Panarctic Communications, (a subsidiary of the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation), and Galaxy Broadband (a subsidiary of Crown Capital Partners Inc), to be an Inuit-controlled internet service provider for northern Canada.

There are further plans to expand InukNet’s coverage to Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and additional communities in the Northwest Territories in 2024.

“InukNet will provide the Northern territories with state-of-the-art internet service made possible by advances in satellite technology,” said Qikiqtaaluk president and CEO Harry Flaherty.

“Connection to the community is vital to success in Canada’s Northern communities and our vast history of supporting local businesses, large enterprises, and governments and we are excited to launch InukNet for the benefit of all of the Canadian Arctic.”

According to Panarctic Director Jean-Francois Bouchard, one of the community distribution points for the satellites will be a data centre located in Iqaluit, which will ensure fast support for businesses in Nunavut’s capital.

Along with this, there are plans for InukNet to be locally supported by Inuit employees in addition to providing internet.

“It’s a new era in communications with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and new high powered Ka band geostationary satellites that offer higher speeds with low latency and network resilience,” said Rick Hodgkinson, founder and CEO of Galaxy Broadband.

“InukNet will be a carrier grade network with world leading security and engineered to integrate multiple gateways, teleports, and local distribution,” he added.