February 22, 2023

FSET Inc. is pleased to announce that Phase II of our Northern Starlink deployment project is well underway.

Since late 2020, FSET has been collaborating with SpaceX to deliver Starlink broadband internet technology to remote communities and First Nations across Northern Ontario. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we recognized a desperate need for connectivity and looked to Starlink as both a blueprint and a solution for how digital equity could be accomplished, and more specifically, a means to empower Indigenous learners and improve educational outcomes on reserve.

For Phase II of this project, we have partnered with Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and begun working together to assist the Ministry of Education in closing the achievement gap between Indigenous students and all students. As of August 1st, 2022, in NAN territory, we have connected over 1,000 homes, schools, and educational resource centres with Starlink internet across 31 different communities, with more and more units being deployed by the day.

Whereas the Canadian Government is aiming for each home and business across the country to have access to internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download/10 Mbps upload, the signals in some of the NAN communities were previously as slow as 1.75 Mbps. With Starlink able to provide broadband speeds upwards of 300 Mpbs, students are now able to participate in synchronous education and other unique learning opportunities for the very first time.

“We are pleased to partner with FSET and we thank everyone involved for making this exciting project a reality,” says NAN Deputy Grand Chief Bobby Narcisse. “Reliable internet connectivity is a necessity for our communities to take full advantage of online learning opportunities and remotely access many important services such as health care, social services, and justice. The Northern Starlink project will allow our members to gain access to the services they require, and our students to access the education supports they need to succeed. Knowledge is key in the information age, and this technology is bringing the world to their fingertips.”

“For us, this is all about building on the work we’ve been doing with our First Nation community partners, keeping up momentum to close the digital divide and continuing to level the playing field for Indigenous youth in the North,” adds Nicole Brown, FSET Chief Operating Officer. “Starlink is a time efficient and cost-effective solution that can easily solve the problem of lacking broadband internet for remote communities, and that is exactly what it is doing for First Nations in NAN territory.”

To learn more: www.fset.inc/starlink

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Natasha Stoyakovich, Marketing & Communications Manager | [email protected]

QUICK FACTS

• FSET is an information technology company based out of Kenora, Ontario, first incorporated in 1999. We have been collaborating with Starlink since November 2020, when we first lobbied the Canadian Government to permit the use of the technology across the country.

• Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) was established in 1973 and encompasses James Bay Treaty No. 9 and the Ontario portion of Treaty No. 5, spanning 210,000 square miles that contain 49 distinct First Nations with an approximate population of 45,000 people.

• Starlink is a satellite-based high-speed internet service offered by SpaceX, which is owned and operated by tech mogul Elon Musk. Starlink technology is based on dishes installed at the ground level receiving broadband signals sent from satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• Phase I of FSET’s Starlink rollout officially began when one of our community partners, Pikangikum First Nation, joined SpaceX’s Canadian Starlink beta test on November 26, 2020. During Phase I, we were also able to help bring the technology to Iskatewizaagegan #39 Independent First Nation (Shoal Lake 39A), Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation (Grassy Narrows), as well as all Member First Nations of the Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council AKRC) — Wauzhushk Onigum Nation, Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation, Northwest Angle #33 First Nation, Big Grassy River First Nation, and Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation – and several more remote and Northern communities in partnership with the Kenora District Services Board (KDSB).

• For a full breakdown of FSET’s work with Starlink, including a map of communities we have served, you can visit: https://www.fset.inc/starlink/