One year of the Canada North Fibre Loop: a celebration of connection

Do you remember what you were doing roughly one year ago? We all at Northwestel sure do. Nov. 26, 2024, marked a landmark moment for our team and our customers in the Yukon and Northwest Territories: the Canada North Fibre Loop (CNFL) officially came online. With that milestone, a new era of resilient, reliable northern connectivity began.

Fast‑forward to the present: Last week, we celebrated the CNFL’s one‑year anniversary and highlighted the incredible impacts of our Every Community Project. Our new multimedia campaign, ‘Voices along the line,’ features a video produced by our Whitehorse‑based partners Ptarmigan Creative, along with written stories that showcase how fibre connectivity is transforming lives across the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and beyond.

Before we share more about ‘Voices along the line,’ let’s pause to reflect on how the CNFL and other major infrastructure projects have already improved connectivity for Northerners – and offer a sneak peek at the exciting developments still to come.

Continuous progress to build the best network

Over the past year, the CNFL has already proven its worth to Northerners. Maintenance activities that used to mean downtime for customers can now happen invisibly, with traffic rerouting seamlessly while our dedicated crews get the job done. Even when wildfires swept across fibre lines this summer, our investments in brushing and sanding along infrastructure paid off – our services stayed live, providing Northerners with connectivity they can rely on.

The CNFL is an incredible achievement, and it didn’t happen overnight. Our Every Community Project laid the foundation, connecting more than 40 communities and neighbourhoods across the Yukon and Northwest Territories to our fibre network. Before 2020, not a single home in our operating area met the CRTC’s modern broadband standard (50/10 with unlimited monthly data). Today, 95% of homes in the Yukon and NWT far exceed that standard. That’s transformation you can measure.

Going gigabit 

While we’re thrilled about the success of both the Every Community Project and CNFL, we have no intentions of slowing down.

Already, some of our internet customers in Whitehorse and Yellowknife (and Atlin, BC!) are enjoying gigabit speeds. And in 2026, we’ll be announcing the arrival of gigabit speeds in even more communities – another massive milestone for the North and a significant achievement for our team.

Looking ahead, we’re preparing to begin rolling out symmetrical gigabit speeds in fibre communities in 2026, and we have bold plans upgrade infrastructure in many communities in Northern BC that we can’t wait to get started on.

Voices along the line 

We’re thrilled to share ‘Voices along the line’ with our communities and partners. And while it celebrates the Every Community Project, it’s also a much bigger story – one of resilience, partnership, and transformation across the North.

In our short film Voices along the line: Looking back at the Every Community Project, we highlight milestones like the launch of the CNFL and the arrival of fibre in dozens of communities, reflect on our ongoing reconciliation efforts with northern Indigenous peoples, and offer a glimpse of what’s next – including the aforementioned arrival of gigabit speeds.

‘Voices along the line’ captures the human side of fibre – the everyday impacts, the future opportunities, and the spirit of collaboration that makes it all possible.  

Visit our campaign page here and view the video below!