Ottawa is making a big investment in high-speed Internet access for rural, remote and northern communities.
The federal government is investing $100 million over five years into a technology known as "low-Earth-orbit satellites" that promise to expand high-speed Internet access in rural, remote and northern regions of the country.
The head of Ottawa-based technology company Telesat will join Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains to announce the new funding and plans to connect all Canadians to the Internet regardless of where they live.
In its spring budget, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that low-Earth-orbit satellite capacity would be part of its $1.7-billion vow to help rural and remote areas gain access to reliable, high-speed Internet.
Telesat has been developing a satellite constellation — a group of co-ordinated satellites it says will provide high-speed connectivity in rural and remote communities around the globe. Telesat says its state-of-the-art satellite constellation involves launching highly advanced satellites into low Earth orbit, which is about 1,000 kilometres from the surface of the planet.
In March, the federal government allocated $6 billion in new investments over the next decade for a plan to make sure that 95% of Canadian homes and businesses will have access to high-speed Internet by 2026. It also set a target of 100% connectivity throughout the country by 2030.
In addition to the development of low-orbit satellite technology, Ottawa’s plans also include investments aimed at encouraging more private-sector spending on rural high-speed Internet and better co-ordination among provinces and territories.
