First towers in broadband Internet push go online
Published Tuesday July 21st, 2009
Technology Installation of blanket coverage for province ahead of schedule
BOUCTOUCHE - The first towers erected as part of a project to give New Brunswicker complete broadband coverage are now online.
New towers in Bouctouche, Richibucto, Galloway and Saint-Ignace were switched on Monday with all customers within a 10-kilometre radius now having access to a fixed-wireless, high-speed Internet network.
The installation of the faster service is ahead of schedule.
The areas were expected to be online by September.
A $60-million deal was struck with Woodstock-based Barrett Xplore Inc. earlier this year to bring Internet service to 39,000 households located in the most remote areas of the province.
The province has invested $13 million to ensure 100-per-cent coverage throughout New Brunswick.
Bill Barrett, chairman of Barrett Xplore Inc., vowed Monday that homes and businesses will also receive the service within the next two months in and around Florenceville, Grand Falls, Nackawic, Woodstock, Caraquet, Moncton, Hampton, Oromocto, St. Stephen, Dalhousie and Perth-Andover.
Towers in those locations will reach the largest number of residents the quickest, Barrett said.
The entire province will be online within a year, he said.
In total, 160 towers will be erected, creating an estimated 100 jobs directly as well as 100 indirect jobs for installers and dealers in communities across the province.
"This announcement is important to every New Brunswicker and is important to the very future of our province," Premier Shawn Graham said Monday. "This represents a tremendous advantage for our province in today's increasingly global competitive marketplace."
A standard high-speed service of 1.5 megabytes per second has been set at a price of $44.99 per month, with an intermediate service of 300 kilobytes available for $29.99 per month.
Most rural areas in the province were limited to dial-up Internet connection, which runs at 56 kilobytes.
Current satellite high-speed Internet customers in rural New Brunswick began seeing their bills reduced or their service improved as of Feb. 3.
The Liberal government is also providing Barrett Xplore with a $10-million loan guarantee to cover capital and construction expenses for the project in New Brunswick, as well as others elsewhere in Canada.
Earlier this month the province also announced the Bell Aliant will spend $60-million to bring fibre optic technology, yet another faster Internet service, directly to homes in Fredericton and Saint John.
In exchange, the provincial government will extend two contracts with the company worth a combined $60 million over three years.
The Liberals also committed $1 million in cash towards the project to ensure at least $3 million worth of contracts are awarded to local businesses.
An online tool has now been set up by Barrett Xplore Inc. that allows prospective subscribers to go online and see when their area has been upgraded and what technology, service and pricing that is available. The tool can be accessed by logging on to www.highspeednb.com.
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