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Wireless Internet Towers Start Operating By September.
Remote location inhabitants and businesses throughout the St. John River Valley will be among the first to benefit from a New Brunswick initiative to provide high speed Internet access to every New Brunswick home, according to a joint Barrett Xplore Inc. and Business New Brunswick announcement made Monday.
Rural communities in and around Perth-Andover, Grand Falls, Woodstock and Nackawic will be among the first to gain access to High Speed Internet access via fixed wireless. These towers, to be completed by the end of the summer, were identified as the ones that will allow Barrett Xplore Inc. to reach the greatest number of households and business customers in the shortest timeframe. By July 2010 all residents in New Brunswick will have access thanks to an agreement between Barrett Xplore Inc. and the Government of New Brunswick.
“We are pleased to participate in this next phase of providing high-speed Internet access to 100 per cent of New Brunswickers,” Jack Keir, acting Business New Brunswick minister, said. “This map and construction schedule is essential information for residents and business owners who want to know when their communities will be able to access this very important economic development tool.”
The company informs the construction schedule was designed using sound business criteria.
“We wanted to reach the largest group of households and business customers in the shortest time-frame possible, using existing locations to accommodate our choice of technology,” said Charles Beaudet, Barrett Xplore’s General Manager for Eastern Canada. “New Brunswick’s rolling terrain and tall trees make it very difficult to deliver high-speed access via wireless towers only, which is why we are offering immediate access to satellite Internet with no waiting and no contract.”
Work on the fixed wireless network will begin as soon as possible and focus simultaneously in a number of areas in the province. Rural areas around Caraquet, Bouctouche, Moncton, Hampton, Oromocto, St. Stephen, and Dalhousie will also be among the first to come on line. Work on the fixed wireless network will begin immediately and will focus simultaneously in a number of areas in the province.
“Today’s announcement means a very busy year ahead for our team and our retail network as we begin the work of installing or upgrading numerous towers throughout the province,” said Charles Beaudet, General Manager for Eastern Canada, Barrett Xplore Inc. “We understand New Brunswickers are anxious to receive high-speed Internet. We want them to know that high-speed Internet is available today via satellite and the plan we announced today will allow us to offer the fixed wireless option to as many homes as possible, as quickly as possible.”
To help New Brunswickers better understand what services are available to them, Barrett Xplore Inc. has launched a coverage locator tool on www.highspeednb.com. The interactive map at the web site will also users based on their postal code, to confirm when wireless service might be available in their area. This tool will allow all New Brunswickers to enter their address to determine what technology, services and pricing is available at their location. Households and businesses without Internet access can also call 1-866-841-6001 to access the same information.
The Woodstock-based high-speed Internet provider is completing a contract with the province to provide high-speed Internet to the remaining 10 per cent of residents who do not currently have it.
When the project is finished, New Brunswick will be the first jurisdiction in North America to provide fast, affordable broadband access to 100 per cent of residents and businesses.
Barrett Xplore Inc. is providing rural New Brunswickers access to fixed wireless and satellite Internet at rates that compare to urban markets.
High-speed Internet via satellite technology is currently available to all Barrett Xplore customers in New Brunswick at the negotiated rate. For residents and business owners wishing to wait for fixed wireless service, the map explains when and where wireless towers will be built.
“We believe that high-speed Internet access can help rural communities compete in the increasingly connected global marketplace,” said Keir. “It can help small businesses be more profitable; allow people to work from home; and help people upgrade their career credentials through online learning. Providing this access is essential to helping rural New Brunswick compete in the global economy.”
“Our team understands how important it is for all New Brunswickers to have the best of both worlds – the lifestyle they want and a connection to communities around the globe,” Beaudet continued. “There is no reason why one should be sacrificed for the other.”
New broadband customers will pay $99 for professional installation, no matter where they live or the type of technology offered. Clients are charged a monthly fee of $44.99 for fixed wireless or $49.99 for satellite.
These fees include the rental cost of equipment, and are without a fixed contract term