Update September 2011

Come Visit NBDC at the 2011 Nunavut Trade Show

On September 28th and 29th, the NBDC team will be available to meet and answer questions at booth # 114 at the 2011 Nunavut Trade Show, taking place in the Arctic Winter Game Complex in Iqaluit. Drop by to learn about Nunavut’s broadband infrastructure and the key partners that make it all possible. Find out what’s planned for the future and how it affects you

And be sure to fill out NBDC’s broadband survey for Nunavut residents for a chance to win an iPad 2! To download a copy and fill out the survey in advance, click here. Or simply come to the NBDC booth and fill one out there.

Digital Video and Digital Voice Launch at Nunavut Trade Show

For the past several months, SSI Micro has been beta testing Meet Online Business (MOB), a single-point desktop solution to allow individuals to conduct affordable face-to-face video conference meetings. This new digital video service will be showcased at this year’s Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit, September 28-29, 2011. Also in the Meet Online suite of services, SSi is introducing new digital voice products to the home and mobile phone markets in Nunavut. Both the video and phone services are optimized for the QINIQ network, and utilize dedicated satellite capacity made possible by NBDC’s Infrastructure II project.

A corporate video conferencing solution, Meet Online Enterprise, was introduced at the 2010 Nunavut Trade Show.  This service is designed to improve productivity in the workplace, reduce the need for travel and lower operational costs such as long distance phone charges between offices.  Visit the SSi booth at this year’s Nunavut Trade Show for a demonstration or contact Sean Rorison at rorison@qiniq.com.

Update February 2011

Meet Online Business (MOB) in Beta Test Phase

In September, SSi Micro launched Meet Online Enterprise, a multi-point video conferencing service for corporations.  Since that time, they have also been developing a single-point desktop video conferencing tool that will allow businesses and organizations to conduct face-to-face meetings and provide families an affordable and reliable way to see and speak to each other.  This application is called Meet Online Business (MOB) and is currently in the beta test phase.

MOB video phone units are being disbursed to various communities where, over the next three to six months, selected beta testers will interconnect with each other in hundreds of video conference sessions. The purpose of this beta testing is to isolate and correct any weak points in the communication system, evaluate video phone products and assess the network load handling capability.  During this period, testers will also provide selective and scheduled demonstrations in their community to people interested in checking out the future service.  This could be a video call to a business partner or a family relative in another community where there is also a beta test unit.

Update November 2010

Positive Response to QFile and Meet Online

The new broadband services QFile (mega file transfer) and Meet Online (video conferencing) were very well received at the 2010 Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit. A press conference was held on September 22nd at the Arctic Winter Games Arena and the Hon. Leona Aglukkaq, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for the North, attended from Ottawa via the new Meet Online service. The technology worked perfectly, showcasing by example one of the many practical uses for a public broadband video conferencing service in Nunavut.

At the SSi Micro / QINIQ trade show booth there was great interest by the public as they participated in demos and tried out the new products.  Since that time, a number of new customers have signed up for QFile via the online registration site http://www.qiniq.com/qfile. Meet Online Enterprise, a multi-point service for corporations, is currently available for conferencing, video distribution, training, and government applications. Meet Online Business is a single point-to-point service for smaller organizations to enable face-to-face communication without the need for expensive hardware.  This service is currently in the “early adopter” phase and will be available to the general public early in 2011.  For more information on Meet Online, see http://www.qiniq.com/meetonline.

NBDC Open to New Members
As NBDC moves forward with these new and exciting initiatives, we encourage the public to get involved and stay informed.  The best way to do that is to become a member.  Download our membership form, fill it in, fax it to (866) 383-6315. There is no fee. You will receive updates by email on the development of broadband services in Nunavut. Your membership allows you to vote for the board of the NBDC in all Annual General Meetings.

Update September 2010

New Broadband Services Launched at Nunavut Trade Show

QFile, Meet Online - NBDC is pleased to announce that two new broadband services being developed by SSi Micro under the Infrastructure II project have been officially launched at the Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit. Together with our partners from the Government of Canada the Government of Nunavut, SSi and NBDC unveiled QFile, the “time shift” application for transferring mega files, and Meet Online, an enterprise audio-video conferencing solution.

QFile facilitates the easy exchange of mega files such as videos, maps, CAD documents and graphics files from one user to another….something that has been a significant challenge up to now for many businesses and organizations in Nunavut’s satellite environment. Meet Online enables multi-point audio-video conferencing for corporate requirements like group meetings, consultations, and distance education and training.

These new services constitute a combined capital and bandwidth investment of $15.6 million The Government of Canada’s contribution is $7.8 million, which is matched by SSi and customer revenue. For further details, see the news release at 2010_Sept22_NewsRelease.pdf.

Update June 2010

Launch of New Services in September 2010

Time Shift, Meet Online - NBDC is pleased to announce that the new broadband services being developed by SSi Micro under the Infrastructure II project will be unveiled to the public at the Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit this coming September 21-23. We had optimistically anticipated the rollout of these file sharing and video conferencing products a bit earlier, but we decided to go the extra mile to ensure the most thorough design and review process possible. Over the summer, final testing will be conducted.

Local Connect - Since the original RFP for Local Connect was issued and awarded, the needs for this service have changed. NBDC has given the vendor, SSI Micro, the opportunity to amend their original proposal to provide a service that is timelier and that takes into account current market conditions and needs.

Classroom Connect – With the full cooperation of the GN Department of Education, a pilot project involving six schools was started in early January for the purpose of testing the upgraded QINIQ network and establishing a typical classroom Internet usage profile. Two communities from each region have been participating, those being Arctic Bay and Sanikiluaq in the Qikiqtani, Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet in the Kivalliq, and Taloyoak and Kugluktuk in the Kitikmeot. Each school received a QINIQ modem with a custom service plan and wireless networking equipment, and provided a minimum of 5 computers for the project. Classroom traffic patterns have been tracked during the pilot to assess “real life” student Internet usage and thus determine future classroom bandwidth requirements.

The feedback from participating schools has been overwhelmingly positive and many have requested that the pilot continue. As a result, NBDC extended the pilot until the end of the school year (up to June 30, 2010). Comments from participating schools include:

“Almost every student in the school logs on to the computer network at least once a week and accesses the Internet.”

“I can't speak for other teachers, but for myself it has made a big difference for my classroom teaching, for science and media classes. For example I just did a unit on the circulatory system in Science and it was great to be able to take advantage of excellent videos on the internet that demonstrated what I was trying to get across. A tremendous difference maker for the students and me.”

Initially it was anticipated that the pilot would transition to full rollout in all 42 schools. However, due to a lack of available matching funds for Classroom Connect within the GN Department of Education for the 2010-2011 school year, the project is anticipated to commence at a later date. Because connectivity for students in Nunavut’s schools remains a high priority for NBDC and an important component of the Infrastructure II Project, we will continue to work towards making it a reality.

Update December 2009

New QINIQ Network Goes Live December 11!
Residents in communities across all of Nunavut will soon benefit from significant improvements to their QINIQ Internet services, thanks to collaboration between the Government of Canada, Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation (NBDC), and the operator of the QINIQ network, SSi Micro Ltd.

For almost three months, SSi ‘s technicians have been travelling to the communities, upgrading base stations, installing new hardware, tuning satellite dishes and conducting routine maintenance.  On December 11th the upgrades will be completed and the new network will go live!  The new more efficient QINIQ system means:

• More bandwidth to support more customers
• Improvements in speed, especially during busy hours
• The ability for users to move more data
• Fewer outages

As well, SSi has increased the speed and usage on basic accounts by 50% at no additional charge.  For more information, see http://www.qiniq.com/christmas-story.

The Government of Canada and SSi each invested $750,000 to introduce the latest technology.  This amount is in addition to the $9.33 million invested by the Government of Canada towards the purchase of more satellite bandwidth in the territory. This investment will be matched by SSi and customer revenue for a total of over $18.5 million to be used by June of 2012. These specific investments are part of the larger Infrastructure II project and make it possible for the QINIQ network to provide affordable Internet access to an increased number of subscribers totaling up to 6800 by the end of fiscal year 2012-2013.  Beyond that period, additional bandwidth support will be required.

Update November 2009

QINIQ Network Upgrade
A vital component of the Infrastructure II project, separate from the new services of Time Shift, Local Connect, Meet Online and Classroom Connect, is QINIQ 2000+. This involves the investment of $9,330,000 by Infrastructure Canada for the purchase of much needed additional satellite capacity for the QINIQ network, currently used by thousands of subscribers.  It also includes upgrading of the core QINIQ infrastructure for 25 communities in Nunavut.

The QINIQ operator SSI Micro has secured the additional satellite capacity.  SSI technicians started site upgrades in September and will continue to make their rounds until all communities have been visited.  They will be completing a number of tasks in each community, including routine maintenance and tuning on existing equipment and dishes, and installing new equipment to support the expanded network and upcoming new services.  In seven communities where local capacity is currently saturated, additional base stations are being installed to connect customer modems to the local satellite dish.  All of this work is planned to be completed by December 2009, at which time the upgraded QINIQ network will go live and users will experience an improved quality of service.

Regular updates on site visits and progress can be found at the QINIQ Facebook page www.facebook.com/qiniq.

New Services Phased In
Once the upgraded QINIQ network is live, the new services of Time Shift, Local Connect and Meet Online will be launched by the second quarter of 2010.  Meanwhile, beta versions are being tested and in the case of Classroom Connect a pilot project involving schools in five or six communities starts in December.

Bandwidth Allocation
The new services Time Shift, Meet Online and Classroom Connect will each have their own dedicated bandwidth.  When Meet Online and Classroom Connect are not being used, typically in off-peak hours, their bandwidth will automatically be assigned to Time Shift as required.  The following diagram uses the metaphor of reserved seats on an airliner to illustrate this point.

AIRLINE DIAGRAM 1

Satellite capacity for each of these new services will increase incrementally over a three year period as the Infrastructure II budget is rolled out and funds are disbursed. This is illustrated in the following diagram.

AIRLINE DIAGRAM 2

Update July 2009

Infrastructure Phase II - RFP Evaluation Results
On February 23rd, in compliance with a 5-year, $43 million Contribution Agreement between NBDC and Infrastructure Canada, an official Request for Proposals for new applications was released. These proposed services, planned to launch in 2010, are:

• Time Shift. This will allow users to transfer very large files at a time most convenient for both the sender and the network. It will require servers in each community for storage and local access to previously delivered material;
  Challenge - Large Files Cannot Be Transferred
  
  Solution:
  
  
  
• Local Connect.This will provide a facility (servers and routers) within the largest Nunavut communities to allow different networks (i.e. NWTel, Qiniq, GN) to interconnect locally thus reducing satellite traffic;
  Challenge - Local Networks Not Connected
  
  Solution:
  
  
• Meet Online. This will enable a range of audio and video conferencing and document sharing services to connect users for one-on-one conversations, one-to-many sessions and many-to-many conferences;
  Challenge - Video Conferences Don’t Work In Nunavut
  
  Solution:
  
  
  
• Classroom Connect. This service is produced in collaboration with the Government of Nunavut and includes dedicated satellite capacity for improving the connection for classrooms in schools in Nunavut.   

By June 15th the NBDC Evaluation Committee had reviewed the proposals, interviewed the top bidders and made its recommendations to the NBDC Board. On June 25th the NBDC Board passed a resolution approving the recommendations, summarized in the following statement:

“The Nunavut Broadband Infrastructure II New Applications RFP closed on April 27, 2009. The RFP invited proposals for satellite network services from network operators that could demonstrate services currently provided in every Nunavut community. For three of the four new applications, Local Connect, Time Shift and Classrooms, a compliant proposal was received from only one bidder. The NBDC Board has authorized contract negotiations with the single bidder SSI Micro Ltd. leading to a contract award. For the new application Meet Online, only one bidder submitted a proposal but that proposal was not complete in all respects. The NBDC Board has authorized negotiations with the single bidder for Meet Online and a subsequent announcement will be made when appropriate.“

To download a PDF copy of Update July 2009, click here.

Update April 2009

INFRASTRUCTURE PHASE II - We are listening to you! 

Request for Proposals
On February 23rd an official RFP for new Vendor services was released. Proposals were submitted April 27th. The new services will be launched starting in October. Together with the Vendors, NBDC will promote the use of bandwidth more efficiently encouraging Nunavut users to adopt the use of new services.

To download a PDF copy of Update April 2009, click here.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Infrastructure Phase II Solutions - The following illustrations show the broadband challenges facing Nunavummiut and some of the solutions facilitated by NBDC’s Infrastructure Phase II project.

Challenge 1 – Satellite Dependent Communities

Challenge 2 – Fibre Speeds Promote More Internet Use Globally

Challenge 3 – Local Networks Not Connected
Solution 3 – Local Connect

Challenge 4 – Large Files Cannot Be Transferred
Solution 4 – Time Shift

Challenge 5 – Video Conferences Don’t Work In Nunavut
Solution 5 – Meet Online

Previous Updates

Previous updates are also located in the Download Documents section.

As a not-for-profit corporation set up to serve Nunavut residents, NBDC is eligible to access investment from the Government of Canada for the Nunavut public’s benefit under a program managed by Infrastructure Canada.