SSi’s CEO and President Jeff Philipp is the son of Sieg Philipp, who moved to Canada from East Germany in 1956. In 1962 he settled in Fort Providence, NWT. In 1963 he met and married Memoree, their adventure in both family and business would forever change the landscape of this small indigenous community that they had fallen in love with.
SSi is a family owned company which began in the small Indigenous community of Ft. Providence, NWT. SSi is named after the family business.
The Snowshoe Inn ~ Est. 1965, which is still running strong.
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Let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Brilliance, innovation, commitment to community.
1990 – SSi Micro formed as the IT Division of the Snowshoe Group – with the name giving a nod to the family business
1995 – SSi Yellowknife Opens
1998 & 1999 – First Satellite Networks Deployed
SSi built a satellite network connecting the five communities of the Kitikmeot region in Nunavut – a complicated challenge, and SSi’s first foray into satellite technology. A year later SSi links Sakku Corp.’s existing Kivalliq satellite network in Nunavut to SSi’s network. A communications success for SSi and the North!
SSi trained Community Service Providers (CSPs) from across Nunavut to assist customers locally and resolve potential problems. All students passed the course. Most were Inuit.
2000 – SSi’s Award Winning Mesh Satellite Network
SSi deploys satellite network in nine Northern communities served by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC).
This new “mesh” satellite network was the first of its kind in Canada and fifth in the world, winning SSi the Next Generation Solution Award at the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA) in 2000.
2001 – Satellite Teleport in Ottawa Built
A satellite earth station was installed in Ottawa giving SSi independent control over northern communications services and network operations.
2003 & 2004 – International Deployments
2004 – First Launch in Canada of Wireless Non-Line-of-Sight Broadband
2005 – QINIQ Broadband Launched in Nunavut
2006 – Broadband deployed across the Northwest Territories
SSi launched the Airware network in 30 Northwest Territories communities, bringing broadband to most communities for the first time ever.
2009 – Robust WAN Connectivity in NU
SSi was selected by the Government of Nunavut to design, deploy, maintain and operate its Wide Area Network, ensuring robust connectivity for all government departments. In twelve short years, SSi had firmly established itself as a leader in the satellite broadband market.
2011 – New Teleport and Network Operations Centre in Ottawa
SSi built a state-of-the-art satellite teleport and network operations centre in Ottawa.
2013 – SSi partnered with Cisco Canada and Connected North
This partnership allowed the first ever delivery of 2-way video conferencing science sessions into northern classrooms. A giant leap for Northern education and healthcare. SSi donated satellite bandwidth to make this project possible.
2015 to 2018 – 4G-LTE Investments
SSi undertook major upgrades to the QINIQ network in Nunavut, investing $75 million to deploy state-of-the-art 4G-LTE and 2G-GSM broadband wireless technologies in all 25 communities.
2017 – SSi partners with Canada C3 Expedition
SSi made communications history by delivering high-speed internet aboard the Canada C3 Expedition vessel as it sailed across the Arctic, enabling vital communications through the sharing of data, videos and live broadcasts to millions of Canadians.
2018 – SSi Mobile
2019 – Eeyou Mobile Founded
Along with Cree partners James Bay Eeyou Corporation (JBEC) and Eeyou Communications Network (ECN), SSi founds Eeyou Mobile to deliver quality and reliable mobile services in Eeyou Istchee and the James Bay region of northern Quebec.
2019 – SSi Energy introduced.
Passionate about resolving high heating and energy costs in remote and northern communities, SSiE formed to address these issues, building from the decades of Snowshoe’s off-grid expertise.
Business as “unusual” in Covid times
2020 – Business as “unusual” in Covid times.
During 2020 SSi partnered with Eeyou Companee and Eeyou Communications Network to begin building Eeyou Mobility, an exciting new cellular network in the Eeyou Istchee and James Bay region of northern Quebec.
2021 – Eeyou Mobile Launch
Despite the challenges of COVID, JBEC, ECN and SSi were able to deploy and launch a 4G-LTE broadband wireless network in Eeyou Istchee and the James Bay region of Quebec. Leveraging the experience, assets and advantages of the founding shareholders, Eeyou Mobile is able to offer advanced mobile services that are affordable, attractive and comparable to those offered in Canada’s urban markets.
2022 – SSi Fire Solutions Formed
SSi Fire Solutions is launched, distributing environmentally friendly fire suppression products; partnership formed with GreenEx Fire Suppression of the Netherlands – “The number 1 in Green aerosol technology”.
2023 – Nunavut SpaceX Migration
SSi Canada migrates all of Nunavut’s satellite transport to SpaceX LEO service, a first for Canadian telecom service providers.
2023 & 2024 – Kamotik and Nunavut’s Broadband Revolution
2024 – Eeyou Meskino Roadway Project
2024 & 2025 – Design and Build of the SSi Land Life Link (L3)
2025 – SSi Fire Expands
SSi Fire expands operations into the United States, and in Kanata builds its first factory in North America, allowing for expanded production and supply chain efficiencies for the local market.
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