The Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (MVFL) project is a Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) initiative to provide state-of-the-art fibre optic telecommunications for communities in the Mackenzie Valley and Beaufort Delta regions. The MVFL project involves the installation of 1,154 km (717 miles) of high-speed fiber optic telecommunications cable from McGill Lake in the south to Inuvik in the north.

Northern Lights General Partnership (NLGP), the Consortium led by Ledcor Developments Ltd., LTS Infrastructure Services Limited Partnership, and Northwestel Inc., was awarded the MVFL Project, a P3 build valued at approximately $84 million. After installation is complete, NLGP will operate and maintain the system for 20 years.

Beginning in early 2015, the construction phase of the project will take place over two winters and one summer season. Following the completion of MVFL’s construction phase, network commissioning will take place in August 2016.

The MVFL project will support further expansion of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility by its international partners, positioning the facility as one of the leading sites for tracking and receiving real-time data from polar-orbiting satellites for scientific, mapping, weather surveillance, and other purposes.

When completed, the telecommunication system will facilitate improved delivery of health, education, and social services to remote communities in the Northwest Territories. Seven communities will be served directly by the MVFL project, with possible future access to an additional five communities in the region using microwave systems to connect with the MVFL system.

An extension to Tuktoyaktuk is planned following the completion of the all-weather highway extension from Inuvik.

Learn more about this project on the project website at MVFLProject.com