Residents of Rankin Inlet and across the territory will see major upgrades to their internet service after the federal government announced over $86 million in new funding on April 2, 2026. The investment aims to bring unlimited high-speed internet to all 25 Nunavut communities by March 2029.
The project is supported by the Government of Canada through the Universal Broadband Fund. As the administrative hub of the Kivalliq Region, Rankin Inlet is one of the communities slated for these improvements, which are designed to replace current internet speeds of 15 megabits per second download and two megabits per second upload, which also include a 300 gigabyte monthly data limit.
The upgraded service will be provided through a partnership between Northwestel and Telesat. The new plans will offer download speeds of 50 megabits per second, upload speeds of 10 megabits per second, and unlimited data for approximately $110 per month. The technology will combine fibre optic cables with satellite services from the Telesat Lightspeed network.
Work on the infrastructure is set to begin following the 2027 sealift. While the project aims for completion by 2029, the satellite system is not expected to be fully operational until early 2028 due to development delays. Residents in the territory currently have access to other providers, such as Starlink, which has been available since late 2023.
