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Hotspot in a cold spot

JULIE FORTIER

Special to Globetechnology.com

Latest comment posted at 11:22 AM EST 22/07/08

For $60 a month, residents of Nunavut's remote communities can stay connected to the outside world with satellite broadband ...Read the full article

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  1. contrite individual from Way east, Canada writes: I live in NB and the ISP is Aliant (Bell) a typical download speed with their 'Ultra' High Speed is about 105Kbps and even this is throttled down to 75Kbps during heavy periods. (Upload is about 35Kbps). This type of nonsense may explain why Canada is slipping off the technology map,
  2. Anders Robichaud from Iqaluit, Canada writes: I can't speak for Southern ISPs but the limits on Northern bandwidth are all related to scarce and expensive satellite bandwidth. It's remarkable that the system, which is operating at twice its designed capacity, works as well as it does.
  3. Chris Dubb from Iqaluit, Canada writes: You said it. The real problem is the constant intermittent outages that plague Northwestel's service. But Qiniq is one of the best things the government of Nunavut ever did.
  4. pants 7 from Japan writes: I get 26374 kb/s down/ 4119 kb/s up for $40 a month; in the top 2% of the world. If Nunavut is cracking the wall of crappy ISPs in Canada, it bodes well for all of Nunavut but I guess they don't have crappy cable and telcos to deal with up there.
  5. Mike Chamberlain from Canada writes: I wish I lived in Iqualuit. I live 75 km from downtown Montreal, and we still don't have broadband service. Talk about ISPs not stepping up to the plate!
  6. L. van Dyk from Hornepayne, Ontario, Canada writes: The town I live in has two possible ISPs- dial-up, wireless broadband and a type of portable broadband that no-one I know here uses.

    Dialup people know about, wireless broadband is computer to cable to radio link to satellite uplink in town.

    The portable broadband service was offered out of Thunder Bay as of three years ago. You paid about seven hundred for the equipment which consisted of a router and your own personal dish to link to a sat, plus a subscription from the internet service provider. This type of thing could be taken to a camp and run off a portable generator. It was supposed to work anywhere in North America.

    I'm guessing that providing internet service is complicated by the fact that we are a relatively large country with a relatively small population, unlike Europe and Japan. Our wires and things have to be longer with fewer to pay for the installation and maintennance.
  7. L. van Dyk from Hornepayne, Ontario, Canada writes: Oh... Hi all you guys up further north than we are... how are the blackflies? There are lots here this year.

    I'm guessing the high-speed you have, even at dialup speeds, is a little bit better than paying long-distance for 44kbs (a 56k gets out at 44, really.)

    We're a little south of James Bay, west and south of Hearst, between the north and south branches of the Trans-Canada in Ontario.
  8. Moe Jisri from Mississauga, Canada writes: Canada has been known for it is innovation in the telecommunications field for decades now but I am afraid to say we are not progressing enough in the internet connection speed and bandwidth arena yet.
    I think the government has to do something about our connectivity internally and worldwide
    We are actually going backward after some companies are limiting the bandwidth usage.
    Other countries and nations are ahead of us and this will have lots of future impact on our daily and business life.
  9. Dan P from Calgary, Canada writes: Cool to hear about a successful govt. project up there. I wonder whether being more connected to the outside world will encourage more kids to stay in their communities or to leave for the 'south'. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
  10. Port Credit Bill from Canada writes: Perhaps the governement can use some of the windfall yesterday from the Telcos to boost the service for these communities.
  11. Pete G from Toronto, Canada writes: I wonder what kind of people we would be if the majority of Canadians lived in the North; what kind of culture or identity we would have. Goes to show how important geography is in the development of a country's cultural identity and livlihood.

    Southern Canadians don't really have any connection with Northern Canada (let's face it) and it's weird to think that parts of our country are that remote and 'off the grid', so to speak. Hopefully this is just one of many steps that will connect this country from sea-to-sea-to-sea!
  12. Mike L. from Canada writes: Mike Chamberlain from Canada writes: 'I wish I lived in Iqualuit. I live 75 km from downtown Montreal, and we still don't have broadband service. Talk about ISPs not stepping up to the plate!'

    I live 100 km from Montreal, 25 km from Granby, and 5 km from a town with DSL and cable broadband service. My only broadband option is Ka band satellite; $95 per month for 1 mbps down/256k up, severely throttled back after about 50 mb of downloading. Both Bell and the local cable companies have said they have no plans to expand broadband service to my road.

    I wonder how many people would still put up with being on a party line phone? You don't have to go to Nunavut to find technological backwaters.

    I depend on broadband for my telecommuting (when we bought our house in 1987 the Internet wasn't an issue, but it affects property values now). Ka-band satellite is notoriously unreliable. Heavy snow and thunderstorms kill the signal, and this applies to both ends. If it's clear hear, but there's a storm at the ISP end, I lose the signal. In addition to the $95 a month I pay, I maintain a back-up dial-up connection just in case, for another $15 or so.

    It sucks.
  13. RobbyWan Kenobe from Ottawa, ON, Canada writes: I wonder if having the highest mobile phone bills in the world helps Canada in any way pay for the internet services to the north.

    It damned-well better.. I'd rather see my money go to the improvement of community connection than the coffers of a multi-national conglomerate.

    For that matter.. just lower the damned bills and fire half of the government workers who just sit and complain about how little they have to do.. put the remainder of our tax money into developing northern culture and forget this whole thing ever happened.

    Also.. Fire that Harper jerk. We're so far behind the rest of the world in global politics, telecom, economy and environment that people are laughing at us like we're riding the short bus with little rubber helmets on our heads. And we are!!

    I LOVE COOKIES!
  14. The Skipper from Canada writes: Too bad we can't have this type of internet service in a place called 'Dome Creek,' B.C. !
  15. Tinfoil Hatt from Tuckered in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada writes:
    'RobbyWan Kenobe from Ottawa, ON, Canada writes:
    I LOVE COOKIES!'

    I delete cookies ...
  16. A Mitchell from Canada writes: I often travel to the NWT on business and am fed up with Northwestel's lousy service. They call 125 kbps 'high speed'?? Its because no competiton exists, why should they invest? People will pay for crappy service when they are the only game in town? Deregulation was the best thing that ever happened, I have fiber optic at home and get 25 Mbps, but it costs over $100/month.
  17. M. Mark from Victoria, Canada writes: This is one initiative that I don't have a problem with the government using tax money to support. It reminds me of the push years ago to provide electricity to rural farms. In today's world, internet access is almost as vital.
  18. Kevin Desmoulin from Toronto, Canada writes: The government should be helping all on get on the net at a good relative speed.
    It just makes sense.
  19. Steve Not an Alberta Redneck from Calgary, Canada writes: Pete G from Toronto, Canada writes: 'I wonder what kind of people we would be if the majority of Canadians lived in the North; what kind of culture or identity we would have.'

    With 8 years experience in the north, I can say we'd make the Irish look like tee-totalers!
  20. phil carney from ottawa, Canada writes: it's good news that the North is getting 'connected'. The windfall of money Harper and Gang are getting from the sale of bandwidth should be used to connect the rest of us better. I am rural Ontario and dial up 28.8 kbs only.Leaving it up to Bell to get us to the 'Flat World' is like expecting the Leafs to win the Stanley Cup !!They are both owned by the same outfit so they can just go along fat ,dumb and happy and the owners still make lots of money.Don't expect any improvement here or cheaper cell phones.
    Unfortunately we as Canadians like it this way.
  21. bob london from Canada writes: Good news; hopefully it will help the kids with their creative minds and the adults in business. I had to rely on a sat phone with 56 k when remote in the bush. When it was a 2 day drive in the winter and you were stuck till your supplies ran out with enough gas to get home you suffered. Some of the smartest and most practical people are in the north who the city should tap into.

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