Screeching modems will soon be a thing of the past thanks to the province's plan to get high-speed Internet access every part of New Brunswick.
Last week Premier Shawn Graham announced Woodstock based Barrett Xplore will be the company to implement their plan to provide high-speed access to 100 per cent of New Brunswickers. Full details of the plan weren't released until yesterday when the government pledged to extend access to every person in the province by July 2010.
Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne said in a news release the government understands infrastructure is more than just roads and they need to build up communications infrastructure.
"Providing high-speed Internet access to everyone in New Brunswick is critical to moving this province toward our goal of self-sufficiency."
About 90 per cent of the province has access to high-speed Internet, with about 39,000 homes in rural and low-density population areas not served by high- speed providers like Aliant or Rogers.
Other options exist, like satellite service, but are more expensive than typical high-speed service and don't always offer the same reliability.
Barrett Xplore provides service under the name Xplornet which offers access through two different types of service.
People in rural areas are able to use an Xplornet satellite dish to access the Internet or in areas where there are more people, Xplornet fixed wireless, which uses broadcast equipment on a tower and covers an area of about 10 kilometres.
Barrett Xplore spokesman Allison Lenehan said fixed wireless is cheaper and faster than satellite, but there needs to be enough interest in an area for the company to install the equipment.
"Of course it takes time to build out across the country."
But with yesterday's announcement, Barrett will receive $13 million from the province to expand their network into areas where it wasn't cost effective before.
Lenehan said the first step is deploying satellite service around the province this month.
"It will be readily available right away."
Barrett has already identified areas where they want to provide service, but still needs to work out the details about broadcast equipment placement with property owners, he said.
"We've already identified where we'd like them to be."
The company expects the first towers to come online around May 1 and will provide fixed wireless service to about 30,000 by July 2010. Anyone not in range of a tower would have access to satellite service.
Lenehan said all of the company's existing satellite customers who use their basic service will be upgraded to 1.5 megabyte, which will cost $49.99.
"The 1.5's over $100 today. That's more than half the price."
The typical complaint customers have about satellite service is the speeds aren't high enough, but the upgrade should help, he said.
"That should address a lot of the questions or concerns that they had."
Working with different levels of government is not new to Barrett Xplore who had a deal with the city of Ottawa to get broadband in rural areas around the city, he said.
"We have not done a provincial deal to date."
Lenehan said the company has also worked with communities in Ontario to extend high-speed service to areas that otherwise wouldn't have access to it.
"We've been quite successful on the county or regional level."
Byrne said providing high-speed Internet access to 100 per cent of New Brunswick will solidify the province's reputation as a technology leader in Canada.
"Bringing broadband access to every New Brunswicker will encourage widespread use of this technology as a tool for economic development, ensuring that rural communities can remain the place to be for business success."
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