Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (MVFL) is a project in

Inuvik Inuvik (''place of man'') is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region, it serves as its administrative and service cen ...

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

commissioned by the Government of Northwest Territories and built by Northern Lights, a consortium of Ledcor Developments Ltd., including Ledcor Technical Services, subsidiaries of

Ledcor Group of Companies Ledcor Group of Companies is an employee-owned, diversified, and vertically-integrated construction company operating primarily in Canada and United States. Ledcor operates in a wide range of industries including the construction of buildings and ...

, and

Northwestel Northwestel Inc. (stylized as NorthwesTel) is a Canadian telecommunications company that is the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and long-distance carrier in the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Originally est ...

. MVFL will provide high speed

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

to over 10 communities in the region. The route extends from McGill Lake in southern NWT, 90 km south of Fort Simpson, to Tukoyaktuk on the shores of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

, a distance of approximately 1,270 km.

In-depth

The system will be installed in two phases: McGill Lake to Inuvik with a planned completion of mid-2016, and an extension to Tuktoyaktuk following the completion of the all-weather highway extension from Inuvik. Seven communities will be served directly by the MVFL, with possible future access to an additional five communities in the region using microwave systems to connect with the MVFL system. Construction of the MVFL will support the further expansion of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility by its international partners, allowing the facility to track and receive real-time data from polar-orbiting satellites for scientific, mapping, weather surveillance and other purposes. The purpose of the project is to provide new opportunities for business, more efficient and effective delivery of government programs and services such as healthcare and education, including in the e-commerce and high-tech sectors, and allow for the expansion of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility which provides

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

for international clients. The fibre link will act as an alternative network path for communication services in the case of accidental fibre cuts. Northwestel currently delivers internet to customers along the valley via

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...

towers, a slower, less powerful type of internet delivery system than fibre. The government expects the fibre link to improve the quality of web-delivered services in the region, including

telehealth Telehealth is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, mon ...

and distance education. MVFL will provide a fibre link between the satellite receiving station in Inuvik and southern Canadian networks, enabling space agencies worldwide to have high speed access to the Inuvik facility.

History

On July 30, 2014, Northwest Territories Finance Minister J. Michael Miltenberger selected Northern Lights Fibre Consortium to design, build, finance and operate the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link. In the following months, the Government of Northwest Territories and Northern lights completed surveying, geotechnical and other early planning activities in preparation for the design and installation of the fibre link. Environmental requirements will also be closely monitored. On October 14, 2014, the Government of Northwest Territories and the K’ahsho Got’ine District have signed an agreement to allow for the construction and operation of the project. On November 3, 2014, the Government of Northwest Territories and Northern Lights General Partnership has signed a contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link and includes ongoing operation of the system for a period of 20 years.

References

{{Reflist Telecommunications in Canada Inuvik Region