[Satellite TODAY 02-06-12] Telesat has unveiled plans to spend about $40 million to expand and modernize its broadband equipment and infrastructure serving Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon, the satellite operator announced Feb. 2.

   Telesat’s Arctic Communications Infrastructure Initiative is an effort to fill communication gaps in key regions. The company said the project would require about $160 million to complete during the next decade and that it is prepared to contribute about $40 million to the total cost.

   In a statement, Telesat Vice President of Business Development Paul Bush said that the plans have been submitted to a Canadian federal government agency for approval. “Telesat has been serving the North for 40 years and is deeply committed to ensuring that Northern communities have access to a broadband communications infrastructure that is on par with that which exists in southern Canada.”