Residents and visitors to the remote Northwest Territories, Yukon Territories and Nunavut in Canada will now have the opportunity to access the Internet at broadband speeds, thanks to a partnership between Ice Wireless and Huawei (News - Alert) Canada. The agreement binds both companies into a multi-year contract to provide 3G cellular services to these regions.
Going by the findings of a report from Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, a mere 66 percent of the North has access to wireless Internet with no more than 48 percent enjoying 3G speeds. This, compared with the other parts of the country, ranks the territory low in the list; hence, the partnership to deliver 3G network speeds will be a real improvement to them.
Innovative Huawei networking equipment powers the highly welcome network upgrade by Ice Wireless –Iristel. The improvement will solely improve wireless broadband services to over 60,600 people across these three territories. In addition to the wireless venture, the company will also be rolling out fixed line services, bringing the residents’ dream of making long distance calls at competitive prices into reality.
This agreement between Ice Wireless-Iristel and Huawei Canada will actualize the deployment of UMTS network by the end of the year 2013. Commenting on the move, Huawei Canada president, Sean Yang, said, “We are very pleased to be working with Ice Wireless-Iristel. . . The North continues to be one of Canada's most exciting regions for development and opportunity. We look forward to working with Ice Wireless-Iristel to provide residents and business customers of Canada's North with the world's most advanced wireless broadband technology."
Speaking during the signing of the agreement at Huawei’s Research and Development facility in Shanghai, NWT Premier, Bob McLeod said, "Providing all people of the Northwest Territories with better telecommunications infrastructure is a priority for this government. . . Better access to advanced cellular services and broadband Internet will enhance our competitiveness, create higher value-added jobs and make new business models possible."
It follows that Ice Wireless-Iristel would be the happiest corporation for having nailed such a deal. President and CEO of the company, Samer Bishay, rose to the occasion and expressed the company’s excitement. He said, "We are excited to be part of the government's mission to bridge the digital divide for the Northwest Territories.” He went on to assure the public that the company will do a good job about it by saying, “We aim to ensure rural and remote households, businesses and community organizations in the North have access to prices and service that are fast, affordable, and every bit as good as those enjoyed by the rest of Canada, if not better."
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Edited by Brooke Neuman