Tag: internet services

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC provides $19.5 million to fund broadband projects in 10 communities

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is funding seven projects that will benefit 10 communities across B.C. and Alberta.

$19.5 million from the Broadband Fund is going towards four companies that must provide mobile wireless services or fixed broadband access.

ATG Arrow Technology Group received nearly $16 million to provide five communities in Alberta with download speeds up to 100Mbps and upload speeds up to 50Mbps.

East Shore Internet Society received $1.3 million to provide two B.C. communities with download and upload speeds up to 250Mbps.

South Kountry Cable Ltd. received $764,000 to provide download speeds up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps in the community of Jaffray, B.C.

Telus received $1.6 million to provide two B.C. Indigenous communities with LTE-A, or 4G, mobile access.

“Money is now flowing in areas of the country where Canadians do not currently have access to an internet service that meets our universal service objective,” Ian Scott, CRTC’s chairperson, said.

The Broadband Fund has committed a total of $206 million to improve broadband services in 170 communities so far.

Source: CRTC

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Mobile Syrup

B.C’s Connected Coast project lays its first fibre-optic cable marking major milestone

The Connected Coast project marked an important milestone by laying its first 50 kilometres of fibre-optic cable.

The project aims to bring high-speed internet to 139 rural and coastal communities along the B.C coast.

The group achieved the feat on January 28th in Northern B.C. The fibre was laid at shore landings along the communities of Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla, and Dodge Cove.

“This is a significant milestone for a project that’s laying the groundwork to bring better connectivity to… remote, rural and Indigenous communities along B.C.’s coast,” Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast, said in a statement.

The next steps are to lay tracks down along Northern communities, including Kitkatla and Oona River, before moving west. The team will eventually move south towards Vancouver Island.

The project is partially managed by CityWest, a telecom company owned by the City of Prince Rupert in B.C. The Strathcona Regional District (SRD), also located in B.C, is the other partner.

The project is estimated to cost $45.4 million. The federal and provincial governments are financing the project.

Once completed, the project will impact 90,000 households and stretch 3,400 kilometres. It’ll be one of the longest coastal subsea networks in the world.

First announced in 2018, the project is currently focusing on network design, consultations, and construction. The project is expected to be completed sometime next year.

Image credit: Connected Coast 

Source: CityWest

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Mobile Syrup

Umlaut says Rogers offers fastest internet speeds in Canada

Toronto, Canada-September 29, 2020: Close up of Rogers sign on their headquarters building in Toronto. Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company.

In its first-ever report focusing on fixed broadband in Canada, advisory firm Umlaut has given Rogers its top honour.

The telecom company is awarded “Best in Test” and has the fastest upload and download internet speeds.

Rogers received a score of 929 out of a possible 1000 points. Telus has 910 points and Bell 903.

It’s not clear entirely clear how Umlaut came to this decision given the way they collected information, according to the methodology section of their report.

“Crowd-data” was used to collect information that led to the certificate. The company “integrated background diagnosis processes into thousands of diverse Android apps” that collected real-world data on user experience. It’s unclear how this information was applicable to fixed broadband since the methodology seems to be focusing on mobile services.

The company notes no personal user data is collected.

Image credit: Umlaut

While Canada has several internet service providers, the Big Three were selected based on a number of factors, including the number of lines each provider has and geography.

It’s also worth noting other results looking at the best fixed broadband service in Canada had different results. Recent statistics from Ookla showed Shaw offered the fastest fixed broadband speeds in Canada and Rogers came in second.

Overall, many of the analyses Umlaut has done put Rogers in a positive light. In a report released in July 2021, Umlaut reported Rogers having the best network performance. Rogers was awarded the same distinction in 2020 as well.

This isn’t the first time a telecom giant has been told it’s the best in something year after year, as we’ve seen with Telus’ mobile success in Ookla’s reports. 

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Rogers