$24M for high-speed Internet towers

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This article was published 20/06/2015 (3990 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The federal government and NetSet Communications will invest $24 million in new towers, including 18 in the Brandon-Souris riding, designed to increase access and speed of the Internet in the province, according to Conservative MP Larry Maguire.

“Today’s high-speed Internet announcement is great news for Westman,” Maguire told a small group of municipal leaders, stakeholders and NetSet representatives at the Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. II on the Keystone Centre grounds yesterday.

“We live in an increasingly connected world where access to the Internet is essential for participating in today’s digital economy. It helps create jobs, realize economic opportunities and links Westman residents and local businesses to online services as well as far-off family members and friends.”

The cost of the investment, which also includes upgrades to 16 existing towers in the riding, will be shared 50-50 by the government and NetSet.

The money is also being used to build and upgrade towers in other areas of the province, including the Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette riding.

The new 76-metre towers are to be built in Elkhorn, Virden, Cromer, Kenton, Reston, Oak Lake, Alexander, Souris, Brandon, Carberry, Glenboro, Pilot Mound, Cartwright, Killarney, Boissevain, Deloraine, Waskada and Melita.

The expansion project will begin in July and be completed by June 30, 2017.

“In 2011, NetSet Communications was successful in fulfilling our commitment to expanding our network on budget and on time,” NetSet director of marketing and dealer development Robbie Zetariuk said. “Our goals and commitment to the upgrading of our current network to LTE (Long Term Evolution) and expansion throughout the province will remain the same. NetSet Communications believes the responsibility of connecting people to the world and the opportunities it presents is the backbone to a community’s viability today and in the future. We look forward to celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday by putting Manitoba on the map as one the best serviced provinces in the country.”

The government funding is part of the Digital Canada 150 program, which aims to provide high-speed Internet of at least five Mbps to thousands of homes in Canada.

The Brandon-Souris towers could return speeds of four times that, according to a government press release.

“It will allows us to connect more areas that we weren’t able to before because there is still a tremendous amount of underserved areas in the province and obviously Westman, so with a build of 18 new towers we will have every corner covered,” Zetariuk said.

While the increased download and uploading speeds are critical, it’s the potential for greater cell service that has some rural stakeholders excited.

Zetariuk said the towers could open the door for cell providers, something NetSet doesn’t do, to lease space to expand coverage.

“Because of the size of towers we would most certainly be willing to have cellular companies talk to us about co-locating,” Zetariuk said, “but it has to be the right tower and location. However, we are very open to working with any cellular company on that opportunity.”

MTS spokesperson Andrew Parkinson said it’s still early and the towers need to be constructed, but it’s something the company will examine.

“MTS is open to collaborating with partners to explore opportunities for enhancing our customers’ wireless experience,” Parkinson said.

One area that has been chronically underserved is Cartwright, where municipal leaders have lobbied for years to increase service. At one point, the community was willing to foot the bill to install a repeater at the top of the elevator in order to bolster reception.

“In the Cartwright area, there is zero cellphone service,” Cartwright-Roblin community development officer Dustin Mymko said.

During a recent tragedy at Rock Lake, which is located northwest of Cartwright, someone had to run to the top of a hill in order to get service to call an ambulance for help, according to Mymko.

“It’s only a matter of time before something horrific happens that could have been avoided if we had cellphone coverage.”

A lack of service puts the community at a competitive disadvantage in today’s digital world, Mymko said.

“Population wise, trying to retain the youth of today who are plugged into their cellphones all the time, they take off and go to university for a few years and they just can’t handle it coming back home,” he said. “They can still send text messages, sometimes, but they can’t make or receive phone calls, let alone some of the fancy stuff phones can do these days. Trying to attract new business and youth back to our town so we don’t grow old and die is a real challenge.”

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