Canada picks Telesat Lightspeed for Arctic military satcoms

Telesat announced on July 8 an agreement in principle with Canada's Defence Investment Agency to supply secure Military Ka-band connectivity across the Arctic (65°N to 90°N) for the Canadian Armed Forces' Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar. The deal, which builds on a 2025 partnership among the agency, Telesat and MDA Space, would use Telesat's low-Earth-orbit Lightspeed constellation, with a definitive contract expected in the coming weeks. Telesat said the award does not change Lightspeed's targeted first-quarter 2028 global service start.