10G Upgrade to the 18 Fibre Loop First Nations
KNET has been hard at work upgrading your community network equipment this fall for the head-end 10Gbps broadband upgrade project. After completing assessments, the KNET technicians delivered equipment on last year’s winter road and have been installing cable equipment in racks getting everything ready for the upgrade. The communities use wireless to reach homes and buildings are also on the list for upgraded access points on their towers.
Bell is also upgrading its equipment in the First Nations. It is Bell’s practice to land a helicopter at the head end for a few hours to complete their work in the Bell building. Despite having limited information on Bell’s travel schedule and flight plans, KNET has been sending notices to the band offices as soon as we are notified, which is often about a week before the Bell flights.
The community technicians are key to the upgrade and maintaining your upgraded networks. KNET has been working with your local technician to set up racks, cable routers and UPS batteries, as well as confirming head-end electrical and Heating / Cooling requirements at the head-end building, to prepare the community network for upgraded connections to the homes and buildings. KNET also looks forward to having an in-person technician training workshop and building the capacity of the community technicians through online workshops to review technical and business information.
KNET’s next steps are to install wireless equipment in the communities that use wireless to connect homes, return to the communities that use the cable to connect homes to connect and test the new cable router and confirm routing and complete testing with Bell’s 10G router in the fall of 2024 (Bell recently notified KNET of a delay until then).
This upgrade is long overdue and we thank the communities for their patience. We look forward to providing communities with faster, more reliable broadband connections that will open doors to new opportunities and possibilities.
Recently, KNET’s Technicians have been addressing healthcare connections in the First Nations, this involves installing backup Starlink dishes for nursing stations and temporary Starlink dishes for nursing residences, along with improved wireless. As soon as the 18 First Nation upgrade is completed, the communities that are upgraded can provide the main broadband connection to the nursing stations and residences. Fort Severn and Peawanuck are currently working on a marine fibre connection to replace their satellite connection with a more reliable and scalable solution.
So the next time you see KNET Technicians in your community, they’re working hard to bring you the latest technology, faster connection speeds, and all the internet has to offer. Don’t forget to thank them for their hard work!
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The upgrade projects are supported with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure, Indigenous Services Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
Press Releases
For more information contact
Franz Seibel
Project Lead (Contractor)