Yellowknife (Dec 08/04) - SSI Micro won a new contract worth $16.7 million to supply wireless Internet services throughout the Northwest Territories.

"The work entails getting broadband to the masses in the Northwest Territories. We'll be into 31 communities," said SSI Micro owner Jeff Philipp.

While Industry Canada officials were touting the awarding of the contract, both Philipp and Margaret Gorman, the executive director of Denendeh Development Corporation, were a little hesitant to announce the news.

The final agreement between the Denendeh Development Corporation (DDC), which represents the Broadband Business Alliance (BBA), and SSI Micro hasn't been signed yet.

Other groups involved with the alliance include the Deh Cho Economic Corporation Deline Land Corporation, Deninu K'ue Development Corporation, Tetlit Gwich'in Council and Tli Cho Tribal Council. The groups came together in February 2003 to form the alliance.

"We've got a few more things to go through in the final agreement."

"Once that happens we'll start the civil engineering and start to get equipment out on winter roads, with construction starting in March or April and done by mid-summer," said Philipp.

The wireless satellite technology will bring download speeds up to the same pace for remote communities in the Northwest Territories as in downtown Toronto, said Gorman.

Currently, subscribers anywhere in Canada could be using a dial-up modem, a cable connection or digital subscriber line, but are limited to their place of residence.

With the system SSI Micro is setting up in Nunavut and about to set up in the Northwest Territories, the same level of connectivity will be provided to every subscriber, whether they live in Cambridge Bay, Iqaluit, Tsiigehtchic or any of the other communities throughout the North.

"NorthwesTel won the first contract, but were unable to meet the requirements of the project and it had to be re-tendered," said Beth Clarke, manager of community investment with the Broadband Program for Industry Canada.

Clarke said the negotiations on fulfilling the contract came to a standstill between DDC and NorthwesTel.

One year ago, SSI Micro began their first international installation for C.A.R.E. in Zambia.

"We've since been busy in Africa and have another project in Kenya and a project will go ahead in January for another satellite network in Chad," said Philipp.

"These developing-country markets are very much like the North. It's a tough environment to build in. The level of capacity for IT (information technology) people is low, the economics are poor. We have been successful at it in the North and that's led to success in the developing markets," he said.