Norsat International Inc. has been awarded a satellite based communications network and services contract valued at CDN $3.5 M from the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of British Columbia (FNESS) to provide enhanced broadband access to over 2,700 residents living in remote First Nations communities in British Columbia, Canada. Funding for the project is provided by the Federal Government under the National Satellite Initiative, with financial contribution from Norsat and FNESS, working in collaboration with the First Nations Technology Council.

Norsat’s portion of the project is to provide hardware and services to certain First Nations communities in British Columbia and also provide and maintain affordable satellite capacity and other related services for broadband connectivity in a total of 17 communities where satellite technology is the only reasonable means of providing broadband access.

Dr. Amiee Chan, President and CEO of Norsat, stated, “We are pleased to have been selected by FNESS and look forward to contributing and providing broadband connectively to the First Nations communities and helping to improve access to education, training, health service and greater emergency communications.”

Chan added, “Norsat is known as a leading provider of broadband communication solutions that enable the transmission of data, audio and video in remote and austere environments and this contract is a significant win for the company as it demonstrates our penetration into Canadian remote and austere environments and one that we believe could provide further traction in other Canadian markets.”

Christopher Wong, Chief Financial Administrative Officer, FNESS, stated, “Norsat is a trusted and reliable satellite solutions provider in remote regions and their solutions demonstrate not only their technical expertise and providing innovative value added solutions in this area but also their commitment to our communities. We are pleased to be partnering with Norsat.”