Wireless and satellite key role in roll out of broadband access to remote Canada

Wireless technologies could save the government and its private-sector partners $600 million in infrastructure costs to bring broadband into remote and underserved areas by 2004, the National Broadband Task Force has found. Reporting its findings to government June 18, the task force estimates that broadband transport to unserved communities could cost anywhere from $1.3 to $1.9 billion. How high the price tag is will depend on how much fibre is used, the task force says. The 103-page report focuses primarily on the importance of two broadband technologies – fibre and satellite – to bring high-speed Internet to remote regions. Fixed and mobile wireless appears to play a more secondary role in the group’s recommendations, but the president of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association says that shouldn’t be interpreted as a lack of confidence in the technology. "I think it’s really a function of the priority of the task-force," which is to get the broadband pipes into every rural and remote community, explains Peter Barnes. Satellite provides the most efficient way to provide long-haul transport, while technologies such as LMCS and MCS are more suited for last-mile access, he says. "The priority was getting the pipe out. And satellite, of course, has got the coverage capacity," he told Report on Wireless. The document’s architects are particularly optimistic about the ability of next generation multimedia satellites to provide faster access and to deliver high-bandwidth applications on demand to remote educational and health institutions. "However, the high monthly cost of these services may be a concern," the report notes. The opportunity for terrestrial wireless rests with recommendations that go beyond the task force’s original mandate of finding ways to extend broadband to every community. The group notes that the final price tag could reach as high as $4.57 billion if access is provided to every home and business as well. This cost would be shared between the private sector and all levels of government. Inukshuk Internet Inc sees that recommendation as a huge opportunity for its company, which is focused on providing last mile access. Inukshuk holds an exclusive MCS licence for the very areas that the government is anxious to get connected. "Satellite has economic barriers to (providing access) for every home," says Dean Proctor, VP regulatory affairs at Microcell Telecommunications Inc, which owns Inukshuk. He acknowledges that satellite is necessary to reach certain communities, but once there, other access technologies make more sense from a cost and technical point of view. In Iqualuit or other small community, for example, he says a terrestrial wireless network can provide the local point of presence rather than having 100 or more links back to a satellite. Proctor says what makes the task force’s report significant is that it goes beyond focusing on transport to include access as well. "This is very important because without access, it’s like you’re building a highway without any off-ramps," he says. And this is where the role of Inukshuk Internet is critical, he adds. While Inukshuk will be providing the service, it is companies like WaveRider Communications Inc of Toronto, that will be providing equipment. Charles Brown, VP sales and marketing at WaveRider, expects this to represent a huge windfall to access equipment providers. "I see tonnes of opportunity here," he told Report on Wireless. But what worries Brown is that smaller equipment companies will get blocked out of the RFP process. "None of us was represented on the task force … you saw the great big players," he noted. "(But) if you’re not part of something, you’ve got two choices: one is to sulk about it, and the other is to force your way in. And I think as an industry segment, we’ll just force our way in … to make sure we’re part of the next round of discussions."

Wireless and satellite key role in roll out of broadband access to remote Canada

News | July 9, 2001

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