Canada's largest mobile operator Rogers Communications announced that it is helping northern Quebec start-up Eeyou Mobility launch its network, by providing wireless spectrum to enable connectivity for more residents in rural, remote and Indigenous communities in the region. Eeyou Mobility's website says it is deploying a 4G LTE mobile network throughout the Eeyou Istchee/James Bay region of Quebec, aiming to offer vital voice and broadband services to residential, government and business customers at affordable prices. The network will cover each of the nine Cree communities and five (non-Cree) Jamesien municipalities, with extended highway and access road coverage across the region.
Cree-controlled Eeyou (note: the Cree are the largest indigenous First Nations group in Canada) was formed in 2019 by Eeyou Companee, Eeyou Communications Network (ECN) and SSi Canada. Eeyou Companee was created under the La Grande Agreement with Hydro Quebec, with a mandate to improve social and economic conditions in Eeyou Istchee and provide training and employment opportunities for Cree in the region. ECN is a not-for-profit corporation that provides high speed connectivity to communities throughout the region over a 3,000km fibre-optic network. SSi builds and operates telecommunications networks in Canada's remote and northern regions including SSi Mobile – launched in Nunavut in 2018.
Rogers notes that when travelling to the northern Eeyou Istchee and James Bay region, Rogers customers will be able to roam on the new Eeyou Mobility network, while Eeyou Mobility customers will have access to Canada-wide roaming on the Rogers network.
Thanks to TeleGeography for this industry update.