History
"Time and space are annihilated. We are of the world now”.
-Yukon Commissioner William Ogilvie, 1901
In 1901, Commissioner Ogilvie celebrated the Yukon's first telegraph line that ran from Vancouver to Dawson City. Northerners were able to connect outside of the north in “real time” for the first time ever. All communication before that was by mail that could take up to a year to reach its destination.
Northwestel is driven by a vision is of a highly connected north where every northern Canadian can prosper and thrive. Our values are rooted in the northern communities we serve. We take responsibility and go the extra mile. We respect each other. We innovate to get the job done. And we make our communities better.
These are some of the communication impacts Northwestel and it’s partners have had over time
The 1,000-kilometre Yukon Telegraph line construction is completed after three years. Residents can communicate outside of the north in ‘real time’.
The federal government of Canada contracts Canadian National Telegraphs to maintain and operate the landline telephone network installed in the Yukon during the Alaska Highway construction.
Canadian National Telegraphs (CNT) completes the Distance Early Warning (DEW) line. A series of radar stations across the arctic, from Alaska through Canada over Greenland to Iceland. The technology brings reliable telecommunications to the Canadian Arctic.
Northwestel Telecommunications – or Northwestel, as it is known today - is incorporated and operations begin on January 1st.
Bell Canada Enterprises acquires Northwestel.
Customers can now directly call overseas.
Northwestel expands into the eastern Arctic. Many of the communities in the area would eventually become part of what is known as Nunavut today.
911 emergency calling is introduced in the Whitehorse area.
Northwestel is the first Canadian telephone company to get a cable TV license.
Northwestel introduces high-speed Internet in Whitehorse.
Dial-up Internet is introduced in Grise Fiord, the most northern settlement in Canada.
Northwestel and Telesat Canada launch highspeed Internet to communities in Nunavut and Northwest Territories.
Northwestel connects high-speed Internet in Stewart Crossing. Yukon becomes the first province or territory in Canada with high-speed Internet service available in every community.
Northwestel signs its largest 15-year contract with the Yukon Government to build and operate the Yukon Mobile Radio System for emergency workers.
Northwestel completes a full fibre optic link from the Yukon to Southern Canada. This link makes it possible for the company to deliver higher-capacity services, such as Video On Demand.
Construction completed on a new $10 million fibre line, connecting Hay River, NWT, with Fort Nelson, BC. The new fibre-optic link improves network reliability and helps minimize service disruptions.
Northwestel announces a 5-year, $233 Million Modernization Plan to provide customers with unprecedented access to faster speeds, new features and better service. This includes providing cellular access to 99% of northerners and faster Internet speeds for 58 communities.
Pulse TV launches in Fort Nelson, Whitehorse and Yellowknife combining digital TV and Internet.
Northwestel partners with the Yukon Government to provide basic 911 service in every Yukon community.
With $49.9 million in funding, the Tamarmik Nunaliit network launches in Iqaluit, bringing high-speed Internet to 4 Nunavut communities and making high-speed Internet possible in all 25 Nunavut communities.
- Northwestel announces its three-year Every Community Project to deliver unlimited, high-speed fibre-powered internet to every community in Yukon and Northwest Territories, reaching 10,000 northern homes with uniform pricing across the territories.
- Northwestel launches unlimited home internet to 7 northern communities for the first ever.
- Northwestel and OneWeb began their partnership to deliver LEO satellite coverage solutions tailored for businesses, governments, and mining operations across northern Canada.
- Northwestel launches fibre internet services to over 1,000 homes in Dawson City, Watson Lake, and Upper Liard.
- Northwestel connects more than 80% of homes in Yukon and Northwest Territories with unlimited high-speed internet.
- Northwestel and Yukon First Nations Telco LP launch the Shared Pathways Network initiative, enabling Indigenous communities to gain investment and ownership opportunities through newly acquired FTTH assets.
- As part of the Every Community project, 17 Yukon and NWT communities receive FTTH access. Yukon communities include Beaver Creek, Burwash Landing, Champagne, Destruction Bay, Haines Junction, Teslin, and Whitehorse areas of Ibex Valley, MacPherson, and Hidden Valley. Northwest Territories communities include Behchokǫ̀, Déline, Dettah, Fort Good Hope, Fort Liard, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Tulita, and Wrigley.
- Northwestel, OneWeb, and SSC signed a 10-year partnership to enhance satellite connectivity for northern Canadians, deploying Low Earth Orbit (LEO) technology to upgrade services in all satellite-served communities in Yukon and Northwest Territories.
- The Every Community Project reaches 90% of homes in land-served Yukon and NWT communities, delivering unlimited internet with speeds over 50 Mbps.
- Northwestel expands its unlimited, high-speed fibre network to the Yukon communities of Carmacks, Faro, Judas Creek, Marsh Lake, Mayo, Pelly Crossing, Ross River, and Stewart Crossing. Northwest Territories communities include Aklavik, Enterprise, Fort McPherson, Fort Resolution, Kakisa, Nahanni Butte, Tuktoyaktuk, and Whati.
- Northwestel launches a six-week training program in partnership with the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, Yukon Government Department of Education, and Yukon University. The initiative supports Indigenous recruitment by preparing participants for employment at Northwestel.
- In 2024, Sixty North Unity, Northwestel, and Bell announced a transformative partnership that will see Northwestel become the world’s largest Indigenous Internet Service Provider (ISP). This collaboration highlights Northwestel’s dedication to economic reconciliation and marks a significant step toward empowering Indigenous communities through digital infrastructure.
- Northwestel, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) launched the first Satellite Network Portal (SNP) north of the 60th parallel in Yellowknife, NWT. This initiative significantly boosts internet speed, bandwidth, and resiliency in northern Canada.
- Northwestel completes the 3,857-kilometre Canada Fibre Loop project, enhancing network resiliency and connectivity for Northern Canadians.
- Northwestel connects Atlin, BC with transport fibre, enabling cellular service in time for the Christmas season.
- Northwestel announces a $3 million investment to upgrade the Granger neighbourhood in Whitehorse to full FTTH with gigabit speeds.
- Atlin, BC becomes the first community north of 60 to access gigabit speed fibre internet speeds, along with full-service TV and telephone options.
