KO-KNET review of North Spirit Lake Cable and Cellular Network facilities and connections
Brian Beaton, KO-KNET Coordinator
The following letter was sent to the Chief and Council at the Band office ...
Dear Chief and Council
The KO-KNET team is planning a visit to each partner First Nation travelling on this year’s winter road. Lead by Jamie Ray from the KO-KNET office in Thunder Bay and including Pat Smith of KPE Electrical (formerly with DMTS), this year’s adventure is scheduled to started, Saturday Feb 16 and will end by March 8th heading first north of Red Lake to Pikangikum and onwards from there.
The purposes for this community visit include:
• To perform minor maintenance and inventory of community cellular sites, and head ends (PoP) for ongoing operation of all the existing and future services (internet access, facility requirements, cellular, etc) including:
o addressing deficiencies with existing installed equipment and developing a plan to address issue(s)
o Taking pictures and written documentation of existing IT equipment
o Create an updated IT inventory list
o Create an updated community contact list
• Documenting fibre routes in your community, where fibre exists today (and future fibre routes)
• Working with the Local IT Technician to identify and troubleshoot any issues and local needs and recommendations.
The overall goal is to ensure the First Nations and the Kuhkenah Network (KO-KNET) have the most up-to-date information about the First Nation cell site and Head-end facility to ensure the local network systems are performing as originally designed.
We want to work with each First Nation IT Technician to Identify any issues and work together to develop a plan to resolve these.
The team will check in at the band office as soon as they arrive.
To ensure the First Nation visit is successful we are seeking the following commitment from each community:
o First Nation to make available and/or identify their IT Technician or designate to assist in the site visit with the designated team member.
o Access to the designated First Nation sites as required
o Accommodations for the team members, if required KO-KNET Administration team will be calling each community at least one day in advance to notify the First Nation of the arrival of KO-KNET team and to confirm the community contact and/or accommodations if they are required.
It is expected that the community visit will take approximately 6 hours in each First Nation. As part of the Kuhkenah Network (KO-KNET), each partner First Nation has access to all our existing services including: Internet, Helpdesk support via email, telephone and/or videoconference for local application development and shared network resources (video bridge, network analysis, etc), maintenance and support of the equipment on the KO-KNET side of the network and periodic and First Nation identified training and support for your First Nation IT Technician via videoconferencing and online.
A report will be produced and sent to your community about the visit with copies of any pictures taken, any issues identified along with possible recommendations for addressing these issues.
Please call our office, 1-877-737-5638, ext 1250, Jeannie Carpenter if you require further information or have any questions about this visit. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely, Brian Beaton, KO-KNET Coordinator
