Connectivity Working Group

The Arctic Economic Council’s Connectivity Working Group seeks the solutions to connect even the most remote parts of the Arctic to the world to stimulate the economic growth in the region.

What are our business development themes?

• Telecommunications – the Arctic is a vast and diverse region that spans across multiple countries and continents with harsh climate which brings significant challenges for network providers to overcome.
• Infrastructure – Many regions in the Arctic area lack basic infrastructure and are sparsely populated, which cause them to remain in the early stages of economic development.

How do we work?

The AEC Working Group on Connectivity builds upon the work of the previous AEC Working Group on Infrastructure: Telecommunications. The previous Working Group on Infrastructure: Telecommunications was chaired by Robert McDowell (USA) and concluded its work in 2017 with the publication of its report “Arctic Broadband – Recommendations for and Interconnected Arctic”. 

Report: “Arctic Broadband – Recommendations for an Interconnected Arctic”

The report: “Arctic Broadband – Recommendations for an Interconnected Arctic” was published in January 2017. The AEC’s Telecommunications Working Group’s report was the first of its kind, providing an analysis of the state of Arctic broadband. It also presents different funding options applicable in the Arctic, an overview of planned and ongoing projects related to connectivity, and gives recommendations for future. The report can be found here

Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summit

A significant part of the AEC’s work within connectivity is the Top of the Wolrd Arctic Broadband Summit (TOW Summit). The first TOW Summit was held in Barrow, Alaska in 2016. It gathered more than 100 participants including policy leaders, tech industry experts and other executives. Following positive feedback from the industry, the second TOW Summit was held in Oulu, Finland in 2017 in collaboration with the City of Oulu. Being held back-to-back with the EU Arctic Stakeholder Forum, the 2017 TOW Summit provided great synergy opportunities for improved dialogue between the Arctic business community and policy decision makers. The 3rd TOW Summit was held on June 27-28, 2018 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. For more information regarding program, presentations and press releases, please see our website under “Events” and the respective Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summit banners.

Chair of the AEC Working Group on Connectivity: Dr. Pam Lloyd

A summary of the Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summits: AEC TOW Summits