Press Release

The Ledcor Group, along with the Premier and Cabinet of The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and project partner NorthwesTel, were in Inuvik, Northwest Territories (NWT), this past weekend to celebrate the launch of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (MVFL).

Construction of the 1,154-kilometre fibre line between High Level, Alberta, and Inuvik, NWT, was completed in March 2017. It connects six communities in the Mackenzie Valley to high-speed internet and state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure.

Inuvikís favourable geographic location is ideal for tracking and receiving data in real-time from polar-orbiting satellites. The activation of the link will support the continued growth of the remote-sensing and commercial satellite industry.

"The MVFL was one of the most ambitious fibre optic network projects undertaken in North America in decades, and it was constructed to strict engineering and environmental standards, on a restricted schedule, in very remote locations with demanding conditions,î said Iain Morris, Chief Operating Officer, Ledcor Technical Services.  "Our construction teams, sub-contractors and local partners and suppliers had to be innovative and agile to get the job done, it was a historic achievement for all involved."

Quick Facts

• MVFL comprises the design, build, financing, operations and maintenance installation of a 1,154-kilometre high-speed telecommunications system from McGill Lake (approximately 80-kilometres south of Fort Simpson, NWT), to Inuvik, NWT.

• MVFL Point of Presence locations are now located in Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Inuvik, and in High Level.

• Fibre Cable consists of 48 individual fibres, each capable of 88 Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) channels per fibre, and 100 Gbit/s per (DWDM) channel.

• Polar-Orbiting Satellites support: 

• Scientific research;

• Environmental monitoring and climate change studies;

• Mapping, weather and surveillance;