“A tower might get very few connections, so the differential cost between installing the tower and the service that tower provides makes it very expensive to add new towers in remote areas, ” Gerhard says.

To read the full story, please visit Global News and click on this link to Lack of connectivity in rural, remote Manitoba dangerous in emergencies, firefighter says

The project is called ‘Arctic Community Connectivity for Equity, Sustainability and Service’ (ACCESS). The goal of the initiative is to find solutions to improve connectivity in Canada’s north by creating a drone airship that will act as a satellite communications hub.

This will improve safety for hunters and researchers, as well as search and rescue teams in remote areas.

“This is us responding to the needs that we’ve heard with our Indigenous and Inuit collaborators and researchers that are saying they need better connectivity to support hunters and trappers on the ice, and search and rescue,” said Philip Ferguson, a U of M engineering professor who is leading the project.

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