SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
There are two important things to note about Ice Wireless’s official launch of their 3G network in Yellowknife last Friday.

In keeping with its Northern Roots, Ice Wireless launched the network’s 3G HSPA+ network and grand opening of its Yellowknife retail location in the Centre Square Mall by having chief operating officer Cameron Zubko and president Samer Bishay host the beer tent last Friday during Yellowknife’s Long John Jamboree. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo

There are two important things to note about Ice Wireless's official launch of their 3G cellular network in Yellowknife last Friday. First, it is their physical network citywide. Northwestel still owns the connection to the south but in the nine communities it serves, customers' signals will be carried entirely by Ice Wireless hardware.

Second, ‘3G’ isn’t a typo. While other networks are rolling out the promise of 4G or LTE, Samer Bishay, Ice Wireless president and CEO, said the company is intentionally holding back on what doesn’t amount to much more than a marketing ploy.

“Bell is advertising 4G speed,” Bishay said. “You can say, ‘up to 4G’, but what’s the customer experience? We can deliver HD (high definition) streaming on Netflix over 3G. 3G delivers (up to) 21 megabits per second. This is not where the issue is.”

Bishay described the difference between 3G and 4G as little more than a software switch that Ice Wireless is ready for from a technological point of view.

What’s lacking, according to Bishay, is the backbone infrastructure - Northwestel microwave towers for one - capable of delivering true 4G data speeds in the North.

“The bottleneck to this whole equation is the back haul that connects the north to the south,” Bishay said. “We feel the customer experience is not affected by the 3G/4G issue.”

The ‘back haul’ is the physical technology that mobile users don’t see and are largely unaware of. It’s a significant issue - if not the issue according to Bishay - when it comes to user experience and download speeds. Until that end of the mobile equation is figured, Bishay is confident consumers won’t notice a difference between a 3G network and a network advertised as 4G.

After joining forces in 2012 with Iristel, one of Canada’s leading voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP) providers, and completing $12.4 million worth of invest throughout Nunavut, NWT and the Yukon, Ice Wireless has positioned itself as a significant alternative in Yellowknife’s mobile phone and internet market.

“We’re the only mobile network in Northern Canada that’s not directly controlled by Bell or that operates on Bell Canada’s network,” said Cameron Zubka, Ice Wireless chief operating officer. “It’s exceptional that this network grew up in Northern Canada.”

Ice Wireless gained its independence by building their own tower and infrastructure throughout the territories.

“That's one huge difference between us and the rest, such as Telus,” Bishay said. “Everything is completely an Ice Wireless asset. We don't rely on Bell or Northwestel network in any way other than the back haul.”

The disadvantage to building your own physical mobile network is the upfront cost - more than $12 million in this case - in a market where price plans are the bottom line for consumers. Ice Wireless has to offer consumer plans competitive with already established wireless providers.

“We're competing with national carriers,” Zubko said. “We're not going to have a northern premium. Our plans can go up against any other major (company).”

The advantage to that upfront cost is a state of the art wireless network deployment that can offer Ice Wireless subscribers unique services.

“I want to emphasize that what Ice Wireless is doing with Iristel - merging two networks - is a first in Canada,” Zubka said. “We’re merging a VOIP network with a mobile network.”

What this means could be a revolution in the way someone manages their phone. For instance, you could move and not only keep your old number, but have it ring and text through to your new location. You could move 10 times without having to ask anyone to learn your new phone number or dial long distance to reach you, at $4 per month per number.

The company also offers an Ice Wireless hub and wi-fi router giving seamless continuity between your cell phone, home line, or business line, without having to drop a call.

Ice Wireless launched the network only three months ago in Iqaluit, and five months ago in Whitehorse.

“We're really pushing the envelope for what is available in the North,” said Zubko who is from Inuvik.

“I know what was available for the last 20 years. I was never satisfied with it. I was waiting for some other company to come up and improve the state of our telecommunications, (but) nobody showed up.”

“We're doing it.”

Ice Wireless covers 70 per cent of the population of NWT and the Yukon, with service in Iqaluit. They have a roaming partnership with Rogers Wireless.