Telesat has reached an agreement with the Canadian government to provide Military Ka-band satellite capacity for Canada’s Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP-P) program.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the agreement this week during the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey. This is expected to result in a “multi-billion-dollar investment in Canada’s defense sector,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
ESCP-P, led by Canada’s newly formed Defence Investment Agency (DIA), aims to equip the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with ultra-high frequency (UHF) narrowband and wideband satellite communications for beyond line of sight communications in the Arctic. In December, the government awarded Telesat, working with MDA Space, an initial contract for engineering and options analysis work.
Telesat said it expects to secure Mil-Ka connectivity across Canada’s Arctic region, also including end-to-end network integration services, user terminals, ground and control infrastructure, training, and support services.
Earlier this year, Telesat adjusted its Lightspeed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation to add 500 MHz of Mil-Ka spectrum, to meet the needs of ESCP-P and allied nations.
The definitive contract has not yet been signed, Telesat expects it to be completed “in the coming weeks.”
“By leveraging commercial innovation and investments, Canada will accelerate access to secure, advanced, resilient and sovereign connectivity while driving meaningful cost efficiencies in program delivery. Telesat Lightspeed will help strengthen the CAF’s ability to maintain persistent communications, operational awareness and mission success across the strategically vital Arctic domain,” Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg said in a release.
