Colleen Moore
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 13/03) - Approximately 400 communities in the middle and far North will soon find it easier to communicate with the world via the Internet.

The launch of the Government of Canada's $155 million National Satellite Initiative was announced Oct. 5 by federal minister responsible for infrastructure Allan Rock and Canadian Space Agency president Marc Garneau in Rankin Inlet.

NWT Finance Minister Joe Handley said that since 16 of the 33 communities in the NWT rely on satellite service, this is welcoming news.

"I believe our ongoing work in educating Ottawa about the challenges we face and the missed opportunities resulting from lack of affordable, high-speed service in all communities is helping to spur development of federal programs to address our needs in this area," he said.

"The announcement demonstrates that the Government of Canada is listening to our concerns."

The initiative will expand satellite capacity to communities that cannot receive broadband services any way other than satellite communication. Through the purchase of satellite capacity, Northern communities will benefit from increased access to essential services, particularity in the areas of health, education and government. Rock also said Canadian families and businesses will have improved access to tele-health, e-business and distance learning services, which will all contribute to a more prosperous economic and social future.

Stephan Corbin, manager of technology development at the Canadian Space Agency, said a new satellite, called Anik F2, should be ready for operational service late next spring and will offer this broadband possibility.

"We hope this will be useful to regions in the North, and other isolated regions in Canada," said Corbin.

In the Inuit dialect, "Anik" means "little brother," said Corbin. The satellite is a Boeing 702 model, which will operate on an orbital slot of 111.1 degrees west longitude.