Our Story
Since the late 1990’s, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach (NNK), acting through Naskapi Imuun (a wholly-owned subsidiary), has undertaken several projects to improve the broadband services available in the Kawawachikamach-Matimekosh-Schefferville Region.
Working with various programs from Industry Canada (IC, now ISED), Infrastructure Canada (INFC), and the Secrétariat aux affaires autochtones (SAA), Imuun installed and operated satellite earth stations, WiMax and mobile data services to deliver broadband services to the Region’s residents.
While these satellite-based services were a vast improvement from the dial-up connectivity available through providers located outside of the Region, they were still limited in the applications that they could support due to cost and reliability.
In 2009, NNK decided to pursue a project to eliminate its reliance on expensive and unreliable satellite links for telecommunications. Imuun approached INFC, which was subsidizing a portion of the satellite operations, to reallocate those funds to construct a fibre optic link to the Region, and a Fibre To The Home (FTTH) network to connect all the buildings. With INFC willing to explore this possibility, Imuun commissioned a feasibility study in 2013 to determine how it could be done. Based on the results of the feasibility study, Imuun was able to lock down financial support from INFC, ISED, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Société du plan nord (SPN) and SAA to build the network.
The plan for the backhaul was to bury the fibre cable in the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (TRT) railbed from Schefferville to Emeril Junction, and then along Hwy 500 to Labrador City.
TRT is owned equally by Nation Innu Matimekosh-Lac John (NIMLJ), Innu-takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam (ITUM), and NNK.
Although as the recipient of the public funding NNK would own the infrastructure, the three owners of TRT agreed to jointly create a new company that would operate and maintain the network… and Sichuun was conceived.
The project team started launching RFPs in 2015. While generally guided by the feasibility study, many aspects of its recommendations were adjusted and/or taken in a different direction. One big improvement was the option of using strands of IOC’s fibre from Emeril Junction to Sept Iles, eliminating the need for a potentially very costly new fibre build to Labrador City.
Designs went through several iterations, vendors and contractors were selected, and in the fall of 2017 the actual laying of fibre began. 2018 was a big summer of construction, and by fall of 2019 the network was substantially complete. In April 2019, a limited partnership between the three First Nations was established for the operation of the network, and its general partner, Sichuun Inc., was born.
Today Sichuun offers arguably the best Internet in all of Canada, and is developing and delivering a full suite of related services to all residents, businesses, institutions and organizations in the region.
The Sichuun Leadership Team and each of our employees are committed to three fundamental principles that guide our evolution in connecting communities:
Local resources and businesses where possible – engage community, develop skills, create employment
High quality products and services – critical for successful implementation, minimize costly troubleshooting and repairs
Appropriate selection of services – full suite of options & uncompromised performance at affordable prices
Funding Partners
