SVALBARD, Norway—On a cold shore in the icy archipelago of Svalbard, a relative stone's throw from the North Pole, a small cabin belonging to Svein Nordahl is a hive of activity.

He has no running water and not one of Svalbard's 31 miles of roads stretches as far as Bjørndalen, the small community of scattered shacks where he has made his home. But the isolated outpost has been fitted with some of the highest quality Internet available, allowing Mr. Nordahl and his neighbors lightning-quick access to the World Wide Web.

High-speed broadband is a rare luxury for the 2,600 or so brave souls living here. In the land many consider the northernmost human dwelling in the world, inhabitants cope with inconvenience as a way of life.

There are more polar bears than people, for instance, so residents are urged not to roam beyond village limits without a gun. And the ground is eternally frozen, making it more convenient to thaw a glass of snow in the microwave than it would be to try to install running water.

Planning for birth? Or death? The rule of thumb is to travel south in search of better care than what's available at the local hospital.