The NorthwesTel project is a joint venture created in 1998 between ATCO Frontec Services Limited and the Northern Aboriginal Services Company (NASCo), which is comprised of four aboriginal development corporations in Canada’s north:

• Inuvialuit Development Corporation
• Nunasi Corporation
• The Denendeh Development Corporation
• Yukon Indian Development Corporation

The project involves the operation and maintenance of facilities, towers and power generating systems at 157 NorthwesTel microwave sites in the Northwest Territories, northern British Columbia and the Yukon.

NorthwesTel provides telecommunications services to a population of 110,000 in the remote Canadian Northwest Territories, Yukon, and northern British Columbia.

ATCO Frontec has extensive knowledge and capability throughout this region covering approximately 3,500,000 square kilometres. As the principal subcontractor for this project, ATCO Frontec provides project management, tower and facilities maintenance, operation and maintenance of fuel systems, and management of logistics support including delivery of system critical fuel to meet performance levels of 99.99%. ATCO Frontec also manages and supplies helicopter charters to each site, as required.

To assist with the overall logistics of a project encompassing an area of this size further expertise includes:

• Tracking normal weather patterns throughout the operating area by location and/or time of year;
  Monitoring road conditions and accessibility to locations at any time during the year – including the monitoring of winter roads;
• Co-ordinating material, services and accommodations available from over 300 suppliers in 50 different communities; and
• Operating within Federal, Territorial and local regulations and permitting required by logistics operations in the area – particularly fuel transfer.