ADnet in Algoma

Potential High Cost for Data Hub Usage

2012-02-07T10:29:00.001-05:00

I advise all readers and in particular data hub users to look at the comment on my blog entitled New Tbaytel Hub Data Flex Plan – 26 Sep 11 (updated).

An anonymous respondent is reporting a bill of over $1400.00 for a single month data hub usage including the overage charges.

While I have not seen the actual bill, this amount seems to be what one might expect based on the usage pattern described in a previous comment by Anonymous. By reverse calculations, I estimate a total of around 47 GB was used. Readers can use the table in my blog of 30 Jan 12 to calculate the cost of 47 GB by each of the major data hub vendors serving the Algoma District.

I do not buy into the buyer beware approach. A bill of this size gives rise to enough culpability for all concerned:

a. The user should have read and ensured full understanding of the details of the applicable rate plan.
b. The sales staff should have explained the details and ensured the user understood the concept of data caps and the data consumption rate of typical applications.
c. The vendors should have issued warnings as the user approached the data caps and at set intervals when the user exceeded the normal cap limits.

The cost comparison between normal Mobile data hub costs and terrestrial (Cable or DSL) costs are striking. The cost of the same 47 GB data by terrestrial vendors in Algoma District is:

a. Bell – Fibe 16 - $49.00
b. Eastlink – High Speed Ultimate- $55.00
c. Shaw – Hi-speed 10 - $45.00

Note 1: Costs are based on website information and is used for comparison only. Most vendors offer various specials and bundles that vary the actual costs to the user. Users need to contact the vendors for more details.

Note 2: There are a number of third party vendors such as Ontera, TekSavvy and Vianet which also offer terrestrial based services in the Algoma District.

Finally, if the Governor-in-Council, through Industry Canada ever resolves the Deferral Account issues, the cost of the 47 GB under the Deferral Account tariff would be around $50.00.

Understanding Some Frequency Auction Terms

2012-02-03T13:46:00.003-05:00

Industry Canada is scheduled to announce ‘soon’ the details on how the auction of the 700 MHz spectrum will be conducted. (Note: ‘Soon’ is used in the sense of government time – not the real world.)

Mobile vendors in Canada have been anxious to gain access to this spectrum which was freed up due to the transition from analogue to digital television signals last year.

In addition to giving relief to the vendors, the technical characteristics of the 700 MHz band mean the signal is able to travel farther, bend more to follow the curvature of the earth, and penetrate structures and foliage better creating improved indoor reception. This means vendors will require fewer towers to cover a greater area. It is also the preferred frequency for LTE service.

This blog is a review of some terminology which may be heard during the auction.

The radio frequency spectrum is divided into a number of Bands. (Note: The term “band” is often used to identify various aspects of the radio frequency spectrum so the term must be read in context.)

This chart shows the frequency bands.

All Mobile phone and most fixed wireless broadband (high speed) Internet is located in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band identified as the range: - 300 MHz to 3 GHz with a wavelength of 1m to 10cm.

Within the UHF band, one often sees reference to Mobile phones and antennae operating in the 800 MHz band, 850 MHz band, 1700 MHz band. 1900 MHz band, 2100 MHz band and so on. Use number two of the word “band”. These frequencies are agreed by international conventions. You can search for “3GPP TS 45.005” if you are interested on all the gory details.

During frequency auctions, each of these bands is further divided into frequency blocks, usually identified by letters A to ?. The blocks are defined by the national authority but with due consideration to international conditions. The blocks are then further divided into bands based on the bandwidth measured in Hz. Use number three of the word “band”.

Since the US did their TV conversion to digital a number of years ago, we can look at how they handled the spectrum to see how these terms noted above are applied and perhaps help understand the Canadian rules when they are announced.

Frequency Spectrum	700 MHz Band

AWS = Advanced Wireless Services. In Canada the new services like WIND, Mobilicity, etc. are in this category

PCS = Personal Communications Service. In Canada Fido is the best known PCS. The term is seldom used any more.

The US conducted two separate auctions over a number of years and this resulted in the Lower 700 (2002) and Upper 700 (2008) split.

The auctions divided the UHF spectrum into 5 blocks with paired bands in most cases. Paired bands means one band is used for transmit and the other band for receive. Only Block E in 2002 was an unpaired band.

§ Block A: 12 MHz bandwidth (698–704 and 728–734 MHz)
§ Block B: 12 MHz bandwidth (704–710 and 734–740 MHz)
§ Block C: 22 MHz bandwidth (746–757 and 776–787 MHz)
§ Block D: 10 MHz bandwidth (758–763 and 788–793 MHz)
§ Block E: 6 MHz bandwidth (722–728 MHz)

(There is a Canada–US-Mexico agreement on coordinated use of the 698-758 MHz and 776-788 MHz frequencies within 120 km of the respective border regions. )

In the Upper 700, the C block is a full 22 MHz wide, compared to 12 MHz for the other major blocks. That extra bandwidth means extra capacity, for handling more voice calls and/or more data.

In additional to the technical details, the auction also established geographical areas for where the frequencies can be used. In the end the two big winners were Verizon and AT&T with Verizon getting all the most valuable Block C 22 MHz coverage.

Verizon 700 MHZ Coverage	AT&T 700 MHZ Coverage

Notice that the Verizon bands (frequencies) are not compatible with AT&T bands. Nor is the coverage. In the US experience, this is beginning to create problems and a backlash from smaller vendors. I will look at this issue in another blog.

Data Hub Data Prices Caps as of 30 Jan 12

2012-01-30T11:17:00.001-05:00

Comments and e-mails have once again raised the issue of data hub charges. The chart shows a price comparison based on information from the vendors’ website as of 30 Jan 2012 supplemented in some cases by correspondence with the vendors. There were a number of changes in 2011.

This information is only provided as a general outline for quick reference and does not supersede the actual vendor contracts. Users are encouraged to read their contracts in detail and ask questions to ensure they understand the terms and conditions that are applicable.

These prices are subject to change without warning and should only be used as a guide.

	Bell	Rogers	Tbaytel
Top Tier Cap	10 GB	15 GB	20 GB
Top Tier Costs	$70	$103.86	$75
Cost per Additional GB*	$15**	$10***	$50
Maximum Overage Billing Cap	N/A	$50	N/A
Maximum Total Cost	Open Ended	$153.86	Open Ended
Total GB for $150.00	15.3 GB	20 GB	21.5 GB
Cost of Additional GB after $150	$15	$0	$50

* Bell quote $.015 per MB and Tbaytel quotes $.05 per MB. I have converted the rate to GB for ease of comparison.

** Bell provides a warning once the user is near the cap and before applying the additional GB charges.

*** Based on my personal experience, Rogers charges for a full GB even if the overage is only a few MB.

Dropped Mobile Calls

2012-01-30T10:13:00.001-05:00

“Jp” sent me the following comment:

“I have been having a problem just a week before Christmas my bell iPhone 3GS is constantly searching or dropping signal. I have called numerous times and was told to change my SIM card which did nothing. I thought my phone was to blame and a few other people I work with say they are having the same problem. One co-worker of mine told me he heard that bell had sold some of their towers to Rogers and that is why we have a weaker signal. Maybe bell is gearing up for 4g in the north so they sold some towers to finance the north project.”

I am not sure I can provide the definitive answer for this particular case but it raised a number of issues so I decided to address it as a separate blog. As a caveat, I do not represent Bell nor do I have any special access to individual call information.

Since the issue involves Bell hardware it is safe to assume the disconnect problems did not occur in the North Sault area.

The obvious solution is to continue to escalate the problem within the Bell customer service system. I know first-hand this can be a frustrating process at times but it does work with enough patience. Be sure to keep a record any exchanges showing date and time, general subject, and employee ID.

It might also be useful to look at some of the causes for dropped calls.

The most common reasons for dropped call on a Mobile network are network congestion and poor handoff between cells. Vendors do not like to admit this and will try to assign the blame to some element under the user’s control. This is not to say there may well be other hardware or network problems that could cause dropped calls.

As noted in previous blogs, the main cause of network congestion is too many network demands chasing too few network resources. In other words, the number users trying to access a cell outnumbers the capacity of the cell. Each cell has a priority list on how it handles traffic. As congestion begins, the cell gracefully degrades service until it arrives at the ultimate solution which is a dropped call. (Gracefully degrade is “geek speak” for slowing individual data speed down so more people can use the limited bandwidth. This is one reason why some rural users get a better speed during the day and slow down drastically after school and in the evenings. The last data to be dropped is usually voice.)

If a particular locality is identified as a problem area, vendors have a number of options to address the problem. They include, inter alia; add more cell sites to create smaller coverage areas and therefore fewer users per cell; add additional carriers to a cell site which increases the number of calls it can handle; add a separate frequency chain. One or all of these solutions have been used in the Algoma District to varying degrees of success.

All vendors are continuously upgrading and adding to their networks. Unfortunately, vendors worldwide have generally underestimated the growth of Mobile data demands over the last few years and have been playing catch-up to get ahead of the growth curve. This Nielson chart indicates the growth trends by quarters where information is available.

Poor handoff is more likely to occur while the user is on the move. There have been some discussions in the cyber world about carriers deliberately dropping roaming calls but I have not seen or heard any conclusion of this accusation.

As to Bell selling towers to Rogers. I doubt there is much validity to this rumour. There may be confusion because federal regulations encourage the sharing of tower amongst all the carriers and there are numerous sites in the north where Bell and Rogers hardware is on Rogers’ towers and vice versa. Some sites are owned by a third party such as the Bellevue site owned by MTS Allstream.

Bell has more than enough financial resources to fund the North Sault expansion without selling assets in other locations. I doubt they would rob Peter to pay Paul, especially if it involved their principal competition.

What Mobile Speeds Really Mean

2012-01-29T12:11:00.001-05:00

Note: In deference to more common international terminology, I have switched to using the term Mobile in general references to the 3G and greater cellular wireless systems.

The recent approval of the International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced or IMT-Advanced technical standards by the ITU once again has raised the spectre of Mobile data transfer speeds and what they really mean. The new specification covers numerous aspects such as standard Internet Protocol (IP) packet switching, scalable channel bandwidth of between 5 and 20Mhz, with 40Mhz channels possible in MIMO (Multiple-In, Multiple-Out) mode. However it is the data rates that attract the most attention.

There are three ways to look at data transfer speeds to come up with a rate:

a. The theoretical maximum. This is the speed achieved under ideal conditions, usually in a test or laboratory situation. The chances of anything approaching these speeds will be achieved in the real, day-to-day world is slim to none. In my estimation, anything approaching 50% of these speeds on a somewhat regular basis would be outstanding.

b. The rates advertised by vendors. This is a very tricky one to get a grip on. The tendency is to over promise and under deliver. While the bold type may indicate an impressive speed, the fine print may well indicate this is under ideal conditions and may vary for each actual user. Another trick is to boldly state the maximum theoretical rate while explaining in the fine print this may be achievable for a supplemented service with an additional fee. A different approach is to quote a high speed with the note that this fantastic speed is only available in selected areas, usually large urban centres like Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. The bottom line is that customers should treat any vendors’ quotes for speed with a healthy degree of scepticism.

c. The actual rate Mobile users receive. There are many network variables impact the speed received by the end users. Obviously, the user’s hardware must be compatible with and connected to the matching network hardware. While IMT-Advanced is meant to be backward compatible it is unlikely existing 3G/4G user hardware will be forward compatible. Another major impact is access node (cell site) congestion. Since the network uses shared bandwidth, the greater the number of users, the slower the rate per user. The accumulation of all the factors can be so severe that the speeds received becomes unusable.

The IMT-Advanced theoretical rates expected are 1 GB for stationary or static situations and 100 Mbps when on the move at fast (highway?) speeds. That is about all that can be said at this time as there is no public information available in the area of advertised rates and actual rates.

However, we can examine the three ways mentioned above as they apply to Long Term Evolution or LTE networks currently operated by Bell and Rogers. A certain degree of caution needs to be exercised due to the restricted coverage area and limited customer base for the existing LTE networks.

The theoretical rates for LTE are 150 Mbps upload and 70 Mbps download.

Based on information on the vendors’ websites, the advertised LTE speeds are:

Bell – currently up to 75Mbps with eventually speeds approaching 150 “as 4G LTE network and devices evolve” The fine print , - actually it is in normal print in this case – states average speeds are in the 12-25 Mbps range.
Rogers – currently up to 75Mbps and later in the year approaching 100Mbps. The site notes that “Today, devices are capable of downloading up to 75 Mbps and Rogers LTE customers are experiencing typical download speeds ranging from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps.”,
Tbaytel – No information about LTE on the website.

Information about LTE’s actual users’ rates tend to be anecdotal. While I was able to find a few examples of users claiming speeds in excess of 40 Mbps, this appears to be the exception. The majority of users reported download speeds in the range from 8 to 30 Mbps with speeds in the low 20 Mbps being very common. This seemed similar across both LTE networks. Upload speeds tend to be about one third of the download speeds for any given test cycle.

When I extrapolate these results to what we can expect with IMT-Advanced. I draw the following conclusions:

It is unlikely that real world IMT-Advanced speeds will approach the theoretical rates
Average network download speeds will increase to a level that will provide near real time transfer of movie and other large data files
Vendors are getting better at advertising speeds that users can expect and are doing so in a more open way. In turn, users are reporting actually receiving these advertised speeds.

This is a summary overview of the Mobile data speeds.

	Theoretical/Advertised Speed	Expected Speed
3G/4G HSPA*	7.2 Mbps (Standard)	3.5 -6 Mbps
	21 Mbps (Premium)	3.5 – 8 Mbps
	42 Mbps (Limited)	7 -24 Mbps
LTE	150 Mbps	12 -25 Mbps
IMT-Advanced	1 Gbps (Static) 100 Mbps (Moving)	Unknown

*Only service available in the Algoma District as of 29 Jan 2012

To find out where the various speeds are available, see the vendor websites for coverage maps: Bell - Rogers - Tbaytel

New Bell Coverage Map

2012-01-29T12:07:00.001-05:00

As a follow-up to my post about Bell moving into the North Sault area. I noticed the Bell map now includes North Sault in future 4G HSPA+ coverage at 21 Mbps. I did not see a specific date for when the service would be available.

ITU Approves New Mobile (Cellular) Designation

2012-01-19T11:55:00.001-05:00

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Radiocommunication Assembly meeting in Geneva Switzerland on 18 January 2012 approved the specifications for next-generation mobile (cellular) technologies to be known as International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced). The official press release is at the ITU site

The ITU is a United Nation sponsored agency responsible for setting the international standards for mobile (cellular) communications. They determined that that "LTE-Advanced" and "WirelessMAN-Advanced" should be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced.

We will have to wait and see how quickly the vendors jump on the bandwagon and start to refer to their systems as IMT-Advanced or 5G. It only took a matter of days after the last plenary session in 2010 that amended the definitions of 3G and 4G for the vendors to tout their network as 4G even though there was no change with the in-service technology.

I hope to post more about IMT-Advanced in the near future.

Hornepayne Now Has HSPA Service

2012-01-13T15:34:00.001-05:00

Hornepayne is the latest North Algoma community to get 3G/4G HSPA cellular service.

We are still awaiting information as to when the planned HSPA service for Dubreuilville and Chapleau will be launched. Once these sites are converted, all the Algoma communities identified as locales for HSPA service will be launched and on-line.

As to highway sites, the Tbaytel website shows the ones along Hwy 101 being converted to HSPA in 2012 but whether or not this is actually in the annual network work plan has not been confirmed.

Whether or not Tbaytel will close the gaps along Hwy 17 (Lake Superior Provincial Park area) and Hwy 101 (The Shoals Provincial Park area) without any type of cellular coverage is unknown.

Vianet Services in North Sault

2011-12-31T16:01:00.001-05:00

According to their website, Vianet is now offering fixed wireless broadband (high speed) Internet in the Algoma District using Tbaytel infrastructure. Full details are available on the Vianet Residential Wireless page and the associated links.

Note: The following information is provided for information purposes. All costs associated with the services discussed are paid out of my own pocket and I am not reimbursed in any manner.

I recently signed up for Vianet’s vTone service with a Sault Ste. Marie local number. I took the Vianet Linksys Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) and my kitchen telephone with me on a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. I was able to connect the ATA to Internet in my room using a Cat 5 Ethernet cable. Once connected, I had full phone service with a local Sault Ste. Marie phone number. My contacts were able to call my local vTone number in SSM and the phone would ring in Myrtle Beach, all without long distance charges. Likewise I was able to made local calls in the Sault Ste. Marie dialling area, again without toll charges. I also signed up for one of the Vianet long distance plans in case I wanted to use the feature. Sault Ste. Marie is the point of origin for the long distance cost calculations .

This technology may be useful to Snowbirds going south for the winter and wishing to keep in touch with the folks at home.

Xplornet Satellite Service Changes

2011-12-18T17:11:00.001-05:00

Xplornet has revised its website and now includes information about the new 4G ViaSat1 satellite service plans. The price matrix is competitive with HSPA data hub and Canopy fixed wireless offerings but is more costly than DSL or cable rates. Monthly bandwidth allowance is reasonable at the various price points and additional bandwidth costs vary from $3.50 to $2.00 per GB depending on the package. While there is no specific “fine print” information referenced, it appears the daily caps - one of the most annoying features of existing Xplornet satellite service - will no longer be applicable. Details of the various plan options can be found via this link.

Unfortunately, to take advantage of the service, you will have to move to Southern Ontario as the Algoma District is not included in the coverage area as shown on this map. It appears as if the greater part of Northern Ontario will not be covered by the new Xplornet coverage. Regrettably, the site does not contain any information as to whether or not any new or existing customers in the Algoma District will see any changes in their price or connectivity restrictions.

The site also has a video featuring the CEO of Xplornet, Mr. John Maduri. I’ll not comment on the presentation except to say it left me very confused and far less optimistic than Mr. Maduri.

A second High Throughput Satellite (HTS), codenamed Jupiter, will be launched by Hughes next year. One can only hope that it will provide coverage to the area not covered by ViaSat1. It is unclear if Xplornet will have access to this HTS.

ViaSat1 Undergoes Successful Test

2011-12-09T11:28:00.001-05:00

This is follow-up on my blog of 31 Oct 11 about the launch of the ViaSat 1 satellite.

ViaSat Inc announced on 07 Dec 11 the completion of a successful test of the ViaSat1 bird.

As stated in their press release, the company “…has transmitted the first data over the ViaSat-1 high-capacity satellite and the WildBlue high-speed data network. The initial transmissions and receptions were completed the evening of December 2 from a SurfBeam® 2 terminal at ViaSat's Carlsbad campus, through the ViaSat-1 satellite and a gateway located in Milford, Utah. The test included email, web surfing, and video streaming, proving the power of the integrated network. The satellite, designed and owned by ViaSat, is the highest capacity satellite in the world.”

The release goes on to state “The ViaSat-1 high-capacity Ka-band spot beam satellite includes coverage over North America and Hawaii, enabling a variety of new, high-speed broadband services for WildBlue in the U.S., Xplornet in Canada, and JetBlue Airways on its domestic U.S. fleet.”

It appears that first customer use may occur before the end of 2011 but none of the companies involved have released specific details.

The Canadian carrier Xplornet has been uncharacteristically silent on how it intends to use the new capability except to laud the “4G” capability the new hardware opens up.

Searchmont HSPA Upgrade Reported - Now Confirmed

2011-11-29T07:14:00.002-05:00

This report is now confirmed by Tbaytel staff in Thunder Bay and the local SSM Tbaytel agent - The Brick.

An Anonymous respondent submitted the following report on Tuesday, 29 Nov 11 under the CRTC Broadband Report Issued blog.

Searchmont's HSPA upgrade is coming online today. The wireless canopy speed tests show an increase rates at my home today after the majority of the infrastructure was put in place yesterday.

I have not been able to receive independent confirmation but I do know that Tbaytel had a scheduled a work outage for an equipment upgrade on the Bellevue/Searchmont link on Monday, 28 Nov 11. Therefore, I believe the report to be accurate.

CRTC Broadband Report Issued

2011-11-24T14:12:00.001-05:00

The CRTC issued its Broadband Report dated November 2011 The statistics cited are for the year 2010.

I think some of the cited statistics are going to make you cry or laugh or sit back in awe!

HSPA Data Hub Survey and Speed Issues

2011-11-23T12:41:00.005-05:00

I continue to receive reports about the large fluctuations in the data throughput speeds being experienced by users of HSPA data hubs. This appears to be occurring across all vendors and across all the various hardware equipment. In some cases, the Internet connectivity is so bad, the service becomes unusable.

In an attempt to shed some light on the issue I produced a short personal background paper explaining some of the issues and set up a short survey of users’ experiences.

I ask HSPA data hub users to respond to the survey as it might help to get a better understanding of the problem as viewed from a user perspective and perhaps identify potential problem areas in the Algoma District . The survey is completely anonymous. Please pass the information about the survey on to other data hub users you may know.
Click here to take survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HXX5KK3
Thanks

Bell Mobility Moving Into North Sault?

2011-11-04T16:41:00.001-04:00

It appears that the long rumoured moves by Bell Mobility into the North Sault area is preceding apace. A notice of Public Consult was published on 04 Nov 11 for a site near Heyden on the Beaumont Mobile Home Park property.

I have reports that there is new tower a few hundred metres to the east of the Tbaytel Goulais (Buttermilk) tower location that is reported also to be a Bell site.

Seasonal Data Hub Usage Information (Updated Information Added)

2011-11-04T12:09:00.002-04:00

Addtional information added I am on a month-to-month plan with the Rogers data hub; I bought it outright without a contract.
I recently asked Rogers if they had some kind of plan for persons who only needed or wanted the data hub on a seasonal basis such as summer residents or snowbirds who went south for the winter. I received the following reply from Rogers: - “In regards to your recent inquiry, unfortunately we are unable to temporarily suspend wireless service.”
It appears the sole Rogers option if you own a data hub and want seasonal access only is to cancel the service and sign-up again when the service is required. It looks as if users on a Rogers’ contract are out of luck.
There is currently a $35.00 activation fee associated with the data hub. Although I have heard that this has been waived in some cases, I would factor it into my cost analysis. It seems one would be need to be away for at least two billing cycles (months) to make the trouble worthwhile.
While I can’t confirm it, I suspect the other two carriers serving the Algoma District have similar policies. If anyone has additional information, let me know and I will post it.
Addtional information added.It looks like a Tbaytel insider took me up on my offer to post additional information; see comment below from Anonymous. He reports that the Tbaytel policy on seasonal service for month-to-month users is cost and hassle free. Sounds good for the North Sault and North Algoma seasonal residents.

ViaSat 1 Launch and Impact on Algoma District

2011-10-31T10:59:00.001-04:00

Based on the public information available together with some insider leaks , I don’t anticipate the recently launched ViaSat1 will have a major impact on satellite service in the Algoma District although I do expect there will some reduction in congestion as the customer base using the current satellites shrinks.

I first discussed the new generation of satellites in July 2010. ViaSat1 was on the books as the first of the High Throughput Satellites (HTS) to serve North America. After about a six month delay due to a potential issue with the solar array used to provide the power in space, International Launch Services (ILS) lifted the ViaSat1 satellite into orbit on 19 Oct 11. A technology overview of the satellite operation can be found at this link.

The new satellite uses a newer version of the spot-beam concept used in the Canadian Anik F2 satellite. According to data released by ViaSat through various media resources, there are 72 spot-beams; 63 in the U.S. and nine over Canada. The spot-beams are “steerable” to a certain degree so the actual footprints are yet to be finalized. The maps below show the rough estimates of the ViaSat1 spot-beams covering parts of Canada as well coverage provided by the Anik F2 spot-beams


Fig 1. ViaSat1 Canadian Spot Beams*	Fig 2. AnikF2 Spot Beams

* The number of spot-beams shown is greater than nine as some US spot-beams project into Canada.

The Canadian spot-beams are owned by satellite operator Telesat and will be used by Xplornet Communications Inc to service to consumers in rural Canada. The satellite is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more.

The new satellite uses acceleration software called AcceleNet®. As explained on the Network Products site, this software addresses some of the problems associated with satellite usage such as preservation of enterprise security policies—such as SSL VPN compatibility and acceleration of secure file transfers (signed SMB) and web applications (HTTPS)—and bandwidth management for VoIP calls.

Even with the new software, the issue of latency will remain and impact applications that require low ping times to run efficiently or indeed run at all. Gaming and video-conferencing could remain a problem. On the other, user should notice a marked improvement in the web surfing and message exchange experience.

The whole concept of ViaSat1 is that it will concentrate its beams in the areas of relatively high population density. As can be seen on this unofficial map, whole swathes of North America are left uncovered and will need to rely on existing space platforms to provide coverage which may be beefed up.

Xplornet has yet to publish details about how it will use the new capability of ViaSat1. From various sources it appears Xplornet will not use a ViaSat1 spot beam to cover the Algoma District. It seems the plan is to use the capacity freed up by the transfer of customers in other parts of the province and country to ViaSat1 to provide better service to the Algoma District users by reducing the congestion on the existing network.

There has been some discussion as to what the ViaSat1 based price structure could look like.

The following speculation appeared in an IT World Canada article: “When ViaSat-1 comes online later this year, they’ll be able to pay $55 a month for” 1.5 Mbps downlink service “ the same speed (plus a $249 up front charge), which includes 10 Gb of data. More importantly, there will be packages with speeds of up to 10 Mbps, twice the maximum that some subscribers can get now.” Indications from other sources indicate additional GBs will cost around $2.50 per GB.

The exact impact on the pricing and service conditions for legacy users on the Hughes and Anik systems is unknown except that Xplornet insists the current users will notice a marked improvement in service quality as some of the new network control features, especially the terrestrial aspects, will be available to the existing network.

Another issue worthy of consideration is terminology and the oft misunderstood term 4G. I discussed the definition for a 4G telecommunications service as a moving target in this blog. Most of the publicity associated with the ViaSat1 launch and subsequent service calls it “4G”. This could easily be confused with the cellular networks’ “4G” service in terms of speed. In reality ViaSat1 4G usually refers to a fourth generation of communications satellites and associated electronics. The only similarity is that the cellular networks and the satellite networks are changing over to their respective generations coincidentally.

It has become part of the ICT culture to bad mouth satellite service with complaints about, speed, reliability, data cap limits, price and a myriad of other features. In many cases this is justified. On the other hand, satellites offer a substantial improvement in throughput over dial-up. They provide a needed access on a universal basis, where terrestrial systems are not available.

I used satellite service for over 7 years. It definitely filled a need.

Was I glad to be able to switch to a terrestrial based system when Rogers and Tbaytel introduced service in my area? Absolutely.

Would I recommend a satellite service as a viable option for use as a system of last resort? Absolutely.

Rogers Data Hub Excessive Usage Price Cap

2011-10-24T20:17:00.002-04:00

The information in this blog supplements information published in this blog concerning Flex Plan data rates costs.

The subject of whether or not the Rogers data hub Flex Rate Plan has a $50.00 excess usage price cap came up during a recent discussion.

The following is the exchange of correspondence between myself and Rogers that took place on 24 Oct 11.
I wrote to Rogers:

This is the cost of service as printed on my monthly bill: “Your services
include: Rocket Hub Internet Flex Rate Data Tiers $35 up to 3GB $45 up to 5GB $60 up to 10GB Data usage exceeding 10GB will be billed in increments of $10.00/GB. This additional charge will be added to the monthly fee.”

I have heard from other users that the maximum overage charge per month is $50.00 regardless of the number of GB’s. This link http://www.keepingpace.ca/faq.html#2 is often cited as the source of this information.

Can you please confirm whether or not the $50.00 maximum cited in the reference applies to the Rocket Hub data plan? If so, does this mean that in theory the maximum I would have to pay per month is $110.00 plus fees and taxes?
Thank you

Rogers Wireless Customer Service wrote in reply:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for taking the time to write us, we strive to provide you with the highest level of customer support, and we appreciate your use of our online customer service.

I can certainly assist you with this; at this time we do have a $50 overage cap for the data flex rate plan. If you were to exceed the 10GB of usage you would be billed the $60 for the top tier of the data flex rate plan along with the $50 overage cap and applicable taxes.

Please note Rogers will monitor for excessive usage and you will be notified by a letter if your usage becomes excessive.

While this reply addresses my 3 tier plan , I assume the $50.00 cap would apply to the 4 tier plan as well.
If anyone has verifiable information as to whether Bell or Tbaytel have a similar price cap, please let me know so I can share the knowledge.

My Canopy Installation in Goulais River

2011-10-13T13:47:00.001-04:00

This blob entry is a bit of a personal indulgent with maybe some lessons learned.

After seven plus years of satellite service, I finally had Canopy fixed wireless broadband (high speed) Internet installed on 06 Nov 11. It took four site visits; signal strength test on three different days spread over a 5 month period; a lot of extra work and determination by the installer and his assistant to make it work; creativity and initiative to get the antenna and head unit high enough in the air to get the required signal; and a lot of message exchanges and telephone calls with various Tbaytel personnel to get the necessary paper work issued.

I made the initial service request in Apr 2011 when I received mistaken information about the Goulais (buttermilk) site being operational, During site visits in Jun 2011 and Jul 2011, the installer was able to get a signal from both the Goulais (Buttermilk) and Heyden sites, although not at the minimum signal strength needed for installation. There was no signal from Bellevue and the Heyden signal was weaker than Goulais (Buttermilk).

After a technical adjustment by Tbaytel at the Goulais (Buttermilk) site, the installer conducted a third test in Sep 2011. After an initial failure, the installer’s assistance suggested another test with the head unit as high in the air as they could get. Once the head unit got above some nearby trees, the signal came booming in! The installer was confident the system would work but he needed a new installation order from Tbaytel to proceed. It took considerable effort to get Tbaytel to issue a new work order.

There was a classic case of the theory not agreeing with the reality. Apparently the theory, the formulae and the software being used in Thunder Bay did not correspond to the reality of the signal strength in Goulais. It seems a little local knowledge is considered a bad thing. In any case, persistence paid off and Tbaytel issued a new work order.

The problem the installer faced was getting the head unit high enough in the air. After discussing the cost of a few options, we went cheap and decided to use a couple of metal fence poles from Home Depot. Each pole cost $14.00.

As you may discern in the picture, an old Direcway satellite dish mount served as the bottom support and an old TV antenna pole mount stabilized the Canopy pole at the roof line. The Canopy head unit is at the top and a cellular 800 MHz Yagi is the antenna just above the roof peak. Since the installation there have been some strong winds in the area and the antenna has held rock steady.

It is obvious to me, that foliage has a far greater impact on the reception of the signal strength than anticipated.. The roof level Canopy signal coverage is not what was projected and there are a large number of users that cannot receive the signal. This is very unfortunate.

At one time, Tbaytel was offering a pop-up tower option which would have got the head unit above the tree line in a lot of areas. Unfortunately, this option is no longer available from Tbaytel. In my case I have a two storey house which gave me a bit of an advantage but I still needed an extension.

For those unable to get the Canopy service, the 3G HSPA data hub seems to have better signal distribution. I also have a NetComm Data Hub and am able to get a speed of 1.5 - 2.5 Mbps downloads using the built-in antenna with the unit sitting on my desk beside my router. When I use my cellular repeater to connect, the speed jumps to the 3.5 – 4.5 Mbps range. Since the data hub is a shared service, as is Canopy, the actual speeds obtained vary with the time of day and the number of users on the network at any one time.

This is a sample of my Canopy speed. It has remained very constant.

Data Hub Information Updated 26 Oct 11

2011-10-13T11:36:00.002-04:00

There has been a rash of recent activity affecting the deployment, operations and cost of using a 3G HSPA data hub in the Algoma District.

Tbaytel confirmed that their hub can only be used when connected to a Tbaytel cell site. They recently corrected a software glitch that allowed their unit to connect to Rogers sites as well. This is no longer possible. I understand that Tbaytel is allowing persons who acquired the units for use in non-Tbaytel service to return the units for no or minimal cost. It is best to check with agent where you purchased the unit. As of this date, Roger data hubs can still connect to Tbaytel cell sites as well as the parent Rogers sites.

There appears to be an associated issue with the data hub in the North Sault and East Algoma areas due to the proximity of US carriers. The current model of data hubs used by Rogers and Tbaytel can operate in the 2G GSM mode as well as the 3G HSPA. This means they connect to a 2G cell site either directly or as a fall-back if the 3G HSPA site fails. There are reports that under some limited circumstances in the immediate border areas the hubs are locking on to AT&T 2G sites from the Michigan Upper Peninsula. This has been reported from the south-west part of St. Joseph Island and the west shore of the Goulais Peninsula Not only does this drastically reduce the data speed but there is a chance that the user may incur huge roaming charges.

The NetComm 3G10WVR2 (Black) has a separate indicator light for 3G and 2G. The NetComm 3G10WR (White) and the Ericsson W35 have a single light that changes its display to indicate either 3G or 2G connectivity. Users in the identified areas may want to monitor the indicators to see what mode they are using. If the 2G indicator activates than they should check the units status on the software interface to see what network they are connected to and if it is a the US AT&T network than they should disconnect. I have heard reports that there were similar situations along the border in the Fort Frances area.

The Bell NetGear and Ericsson data hub specifications do not identify the capability to operate in the 2G mode and I have not heard of any problems with their hubs in this regard. That does not mean there may not be a problem, just that I have not heard reports. Some users reported problems when the new site at Echo Bay came on line as the antenna on the Laird site needed to be adjusted. This was partially due to the potential of interference from the US sites. I believe most of these issues have now been resolved. In an associated issue, Bell is adding 1900MHz capability to existing 800MHZ capability on the HSPA only Desbarats site this week. This should provide some relief to the congestion problem at this site.

As noted in this blog entry, Tbaytel introduced a 4^th tier of Flex Data Plan pricing. Rogers has now added a tier but they have also increased their rates to match Bell’s equivalent rates. As of today’s date, there is no indication of a 4^th tier on the Bell site nor have I heard anything from other sources . Here a summary of prices as of 13 Oct 11

Data Cap	Bell		Rogers		Tbaytel
	Flex Rate	Per GB	Flex Rate	Per GB	Flex Rate	Per GB
3 GB	$45.00	$15.00	$45.00	$15.00	$35.00	$11.68
5 GB	$55.00	$11.00	$ 55.00	$11.00	$45.00	$9.00
10 GB	$70.00	$7.00	$70.00	$7.00	$60.00	$6.00
15 GB			$90.00	$4.50
20 GB					$75.00	$3.75

See this link for additional information on a price cap for Rogers service.

Bell Deferral Account Update 30 Sep 11

2011-09-30T11:32:00.001-04:00

The saga of the Bell Deferral Account program continues.

In March 2011, Bell Canada submitted an Application for Judicial Review to the Federal Court of Canada in the matter of the Rogers appeal to the Governor-in-Council (Federal Cabinet). Rogers appealed the decision of the CRTC to allow Bell Canada to draw down the Deferral Account to offset some costs for the implementation of the HSPA as the technology to provide broadband (high speed) Internet in underserved areas.

Subsequently, Bell filed a request for judicial review with the Federal Court. I am not a lawyer but my understanding is that Bell was questioning the right of Rogers to appeal to the Governor-in-Council.

The Bell application was heard in Federal Court in Ottawa on 12 Sep 11 and the Court rendered its decision on 29 Sep 11. This is an extract from the Court’s website (highlight added). The court number is T-514-11:

Reasons for Judgment and Judgment dated 29-SEP-2011 rendered by The Honourable Mr. Justice Russell Matter considered with personal appearance The Court's decision is with regard to Judicial Review (s.18) Result: dismissed THE COURT'S JUDGMENT is that: 1. The application is dismissed. 2. Rogers and the Minister shall have their costs in this matter. Filed on 29-SEP-2011 certified copies sent to parties Final Decision Certificate of Judgment entered in J. & O. Book, volume 1135 page(s) 366 - 367

There is still no report on the any decision yet by the Governor-in-Council on the Rogers question.

It is my understanding that meanwhile Bell continues to plan implementation of the Deferral Account coverage in accordance with the published schedule.

New Tbaytel Hub Data Flex Plan – 26 Sep 11 (updated)

2011-09-26T16:48:00.008-04:00

According to their website page, Tbaytel has added a fourth tier with a 20 GB cap to its variable Hub Data Flex Plan.

Under the new plans, the rates are:

Tbaytel Hub Data Flex Plan:

3 GB - $35.00
5 GB - $45.00
10 GB - $60.00
20 GB - $75.00

Overage .05/MB

The extra 10 GB for an additional $15.00 is a marked improvement. Under the old plan, this additional 10 GB would have cost $500.00! The new 20 GB cap is about 25% greater than the average monthly usage as reported by the CRTC.

I am disappointed that the Overage rate of .05/MB was maintained. A rate comparable with the Rogers $10 per GB rate, while still high, is a little better. Under the Tbaytel plan $10.00 only buys an additional 200 MB of data transfer.

It will be interesting to see if Rogers announces any changes to their plan to meet the new Tbaytel rate plan.

Batchawana 3G/4G HSPA Site Activated

2011-09-01T10:10:00.001-04:00

The Batchawana 3G/4G HSPA site is now active. That means 2/2.5 G CDMA (Bell compatible) , 3G/4G HSPA (Rogers compatible) and Canopy fixed wireless broadband are now available through the site.

More information about the services can be found on the Tbaytel website.

I expect the Searchmont site will be activated later in September.

Public Consultation for a SSM- Airport Cell Site

2011-08-25T11:37:00.002-04:00

Author's Update: I believe that in response to public feedback Bell is moving the proposed Nokomis Beach Road tower location to the area of the Pointe de Chênes campground. (26 Oct 11)

This is a follow-up to my blog of 14 Aug under the heading Is SSM-Airport Deferral Account a Go? concerning the public consultation for Bell Mobility (Bell) cell tower sites in the Sault Ste Marie area.

I attended the meeting held at the Water Tower Inn in the Sault on 24 Aug 11. Unlike the sparse attendance at the Bell public consultation for the Carpin Beach Rd site, nearly two dozen people were in attendance. The audience was a cross section of interested citizens and what I would refer to as resource personnel representatives such as a City Councillor, City Planning staff, Airport Management/Tech staff and personnel from the aviation sector.
Bell had three potential sites on the agenda for discussion – Algoma University Parking Lot, Old Garden River Road and Nokomis Beach Road.
No one in attendance expressed concerns about the first two sites. All of the open discussion centred on the Nokomis Beach site.
While the speakers declared a desire to obtain cellular and broadband (high speed) Internet service, they expressed concern about the actual site of the tower. I noted the following principal concerns as summarized below:

A desire for more details about the site selection process, the consultation process and the timelines involved.
An “industrial” structure located in a residential area and the potential for adverse impact on the aesthetics of the semi-rural residential area and the possible negative impact on real estate values;
The possibility of light pollution if beacon lighting (White strobe or flashing red) became a requirement for the tower;
The creation of another potential hazard to aviation in the area.

The Bell representative explained the rationale as to how and why the particular site was selected. Computer modelling and on the ground survey indicated the site offered the optimum location for area coverage and the prevention of spill over of the radio signal across the international border. He stated that Bell was no longer deploying wireline (DSL or Fibre to the Home) broadband (high speed) Internet service outside high density, major urban areas.
Some attendees suggested a number of alternate locations near the site area that they deemed to be more acceptable. Most involved the use of airport property either at ground level in the areas of the Nokomis Beach/Pointe de Chênes Road or use of the airport water tower as a support structure.
The Bell representative made arrangements to meet with the airport management to discuss possible airport locations later in the week before he returned to his office in Mississauga .
The Bell representative indicated his report to management will identify the concerns raised by the attendees. He will also meet with the network engineering staff to review the impact of using alternate locations identified as a result of his consultations . He indicated that at times the site selection and subsequent consultations becomes reiterative so the possibility of further meetings in still on the table.
No firm plans or dates for follow-up discussions were set.
The impact this need to reassess the site location will have on the roll-out of Deferral Account broadband (high speed) Internet in the SSM –Airport area is unknown at this time. The Bell representative did indicate that research for an another site to cover the Pointe Louise and the Pointe aux Pins areas was on going.
Readers interested in finding out more about the tower siting process regulations and the public consultation process are referred to the Spectrum Branch of Industry Canada site .

COWs Move to Martha’s Vineyard

2011-08-20T14:13:00.001-04:00

It seems that the residents of Red Rock and selected areas of St. Joseph Island are not the only people who do not have full time cellular coverage. The good folks of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts, USA usually have limited or no cell service either.

However, according to an article in the NY Times, this all changes in July and August each year when Verizon installs a couple of COWs – Cell On Wheels ⁽¹⁾ – to coincide with President Obama’s holiday on the island.

AT&T hardware does not work on the technically incompatible Verizon network provided by the COWs. Not everyone is happy with the difference in hardware. (At one time AT&T was the sole source for cell enabled Apple iPhones and many legacy users remain.) This is the similar to the challenge faced by Bell customers trying to access the Tbaytel HSPA network along the Hwy 17 north corridor .

As one might expect, many island residents do not want or appreciate the cell service while others welcome the convenience

Come September, the COWs will head back to the barn and Martha Vineyard will revert to its normal bucolic self.

(1) Cell on Wheels Often referred to as a COW, it is a portable base station, usually a large truck or a van that is used to provide temporary wireless network capacity. COWs are typically used during special events where a larger number of people will converge on one area, or in disaster areas if the base station has been damaged. The COW vehicle will consist of a cellular tower and all the support equipment needed to provide mobile wireless communications.

Tbaytel RIF Project for Algoma Complete

2011-08-16T11:01:00.001-04:00

The Algoma District portion of the 4 year Tbaytel Regional In-Fill (RIF) project is now complete. Tbaytel activated the final Canopy fixed wireless equipment at the Goulais (Buttermilk) site on August 15, 2011.

Within the Algoma District, the RIF project resulted in the installation of new cell sites at Sanigra Lake, Michipicoten, Goulais River and Heyden as well as the installation of Canopy fixed wireless broadband (high speed Internet) hardware on the cell sites at Hawke Junction, Batchawana, Goulais River, Bellevue, Heyden and Searchmont.

The RIF project is a separate entity from the agreement between Tbaytel and Rogers to build a 3G/4G HSPA network overlay using the existing Tbaytel CDMA facilities including the new RIF sites. This project remains ongoing with number of sites still scheduled for upgrade.

Background

The RIF project started on May 11, 2007 when the North West Ontario Innovation Centre (NWOIC) issued a public Request for Expression of Interest (EOI). ADnet championed the Algoma District interests throughout the project’s duration. The EOI conformed to the NOHFC guidelines for cellular coverage in effect at the time which stated King’s Highways in the area were the targeted coverage area.

The EOI asked interested vendors to submit outline proposals to provide increased cellular coverage along the Hwy 17 corridor from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie and broadband (high speed Internet) with a minimum of 1.5 mbps download[1] capability at designated locales[2] along the same corridor.

After a due diligence review which included input from ADnet, the NWOIC selected Tbaytel as the vendor of choice and submitted funding proposals to NOHFC and FedNor for financial backing to offset some of the project’s total $6.3 million cost.

NOFHC came on board the project on September 04, 2007 when they announced funding in the amount of $3.4 million conditional upon a Tbaytel contribution of $2.4 million and a FedNor contribution of $500 thousand. FedNor finally joined the project in the summer of 2008. The project total of $6.3 million broke down into $5.2 million for cellular and $1.1 million for broadband (high speed Internet).

[1] This was the speed the CRTC/FedNor/NOHFC used at the time to define broadband (high speed) Internet. It is now generally accepted that the target speed should be 4 Mbps download. The systems installed under the RIF have this capability.

[2] The principal criteria were population density and broadband (high speed) Internet alternatives.

Is SSM-Airport Deferral Account a Go?

2011-08-14T12:27:00.004-04:00

As first reported in my 20 May 11 blog, Bell is moving ahead with building new towers and associated cell sites in the SSM -Airport Deferral Account area. This timeline conforms to the schedule previous published which shows construction start in 2011 for operation in 2012.

As required by federal regulations for new tower construction, Bell Mobility posted a notice of public consultation in the 13 Aug 11 edition of the Sault Star for a tower in the Nokomis Beach area of SSM .

The new Nokomis Beach location, like the previously reviewed Carpin Beach Rd. location, is clearly within the SSM-Airport Deferral Account area. Bell appears to be going ahead with the projects in spite of fact the appeal by Rogers to the Governor-in-Council is still pending and the counter legal appeal by Bell is not scheduled to be heard until mid-September 2011.

As a reminder, the Deferral Account program is 3G/4G HSPA based. While the original Bell submission to and approved by the CRTC had a special tariff provision, it is unknown if the appeal process will impact on the special tariff plans.

Bell also announced two other towers in the SSM area in the same edition of the Sault Star. These are not Deferral Account sites.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy Site Update as of 12 Aug 11

2011-08-12T09:53:00.001-04:00

I received written confirmation that the Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy service will be launched on Monday, 15 Aug 11.

This means all three components of the site – 2/2.5 CDMA, 3G/4G HSPA, and Canopy fixed wireless broadband – will be operational.

Speed Test Sites and Results – 05 Aug 11

2011-08-05T11:31:00.001-04:00

Speed Test Sites

A number of people have asked about how to test the speed of their broadband (high speed) Internet connection. The following lists are a few sites that offer a speed test service.

Bell Speed Check - http://206.47.199.107/
Cogeco Speed Test (Burlington, ON) - http://speedtest.cogeco.net
Ontera Speed Test - https://www.ontera.net/myontera/en/bandwidthtest.html
Primus Speed Test(Etobioke, ON) - http://speedtest.primus.ca
Rogers Speed Test - Website link is here
SaskTel Internet Speed Test (Regina, SK) - http://www.sasktel.com/internet/speedtest/index.html
Shaw Speed Test (Sooke, BC) - http://speedtest.shaw.ca
Speed Test Net - http://www.speedtest.net/
Tbaytel Sped Test - http://speedtest.tbaytel.net/
Test My Net - http://testmy.net/
Vianet Speed Test - http://www.vianet.ca/speedtest.php
Videotron Internet Speed Test (Montreal, PQ) - http://testvitesse.videotron.ca/index-en.html

Multi-Speed Test Sites Test

It is important to remember that the results of the speed test only indicate the statistics at the time of the test. It is highly unlikely that the results will be the same the next. To illustrate this point I conducted tests between 11:30 and 12:10 AM on Thursday, 04 Aug 11.

I used a Toshiba laptop with a wireless connection to a Rogers data hub which was receiving a signal by means of an all house antenna connected through a 50 dB amp to an external Yagi aimed at the Bellevue tower. I did three tests as quickly as possible at each test site. Notice the wide range of results both at each site and amongst the sites. You should also note the theoretical best speed for my connection is 7 Mbps download.

Test Site	Ping in ms	Download in Mbps	Upload in Mbps
Bell	N/A*	3.37	1.09
	N/A	3.30	1.85
	N/A	3.14	2.57

Cogeco	N/A	2.40	2.5
	N/A	2.80	1.2
	N/A	2.40	1.5

Ontera	N/A	1.03	N/A
	N/A	1.04	N/A
	N/A	1.07	N/A

Primus	119	1.65	.660
	119	2.01	1.75
	115	2.46	1.83

Rogers	N/A	2.57	3.44
	N/A	2.68	2.36
	N/A	3.03	3.28

SaskTel	N/A	2.14	0.603
	N/A	2.36	0.896
	N/A	2.06	1.1

Shaw	259	2.61	0.68
	250	2.49	0.64
	259	2.52	,490

Speed Test Net	103	2.17	1.15
	104	2.14	0.75
	105	3.59	0.87

Tbaytel	148	2.80	1.8
	145	1.93	1.15
	146	3.75	0.88

Test My Net	N/A	1.7	0.88
	N/A	3.30	**
	N/A	2.0	**
Vianet	N/A	2.54	1.29
	N/A	4.39	1.03
	N/A	2.82	1.65

Videotron	222	1.2	1.07
	108	2.76	0.867
	103	3.01	1.12

* Site does not provide ping times
**Stopped Working

Single Speed Test Site Multi-location

Speed Test Net allows you to pick a specific server for each test. Using this option I tested a few Canadian and US locations. Again there was a large range of results.

Location	Ping in ms	Download in Mbps	Upload in Mbps
Clifton, ON	104	2.87	.92
Kitchener, ON	105	2.60	1.93
Kanata, ON	90	3.02	.92
Montreal, PQ	117	3.65	2.57
Halifax, NS	216	3.42	2.26
Winnipeg, MB	109	3.64	2.20
St. Johns, NL	129	3.68	3.26
Saskatoon, SK	280	1.32	1.33
Yellowknife	168	4.13	1.06
Houston, TX	156	2.90	2.48
Houghton, MI	193	3.76	3.27

North Sault Tbaytel Outlet Situation Clarified – 05 Aug 11

2011-08-05T09:59:00.002-04:00

The circumstance surrounding a local Sault Ste Marie Tbaytel outlet is now clarified.
For business reasons, the authorized Tbaytel dealer in Wawa – The Brick – must be the agent of record for all Tbaytel transactions for service in the North Sault area.
However, the Wawa outlet can use The Brick associate store in Sault Ste. Marie as a “pick-up” point. This means a user may either contact the Wawa store directly and the items can be picked up in the Sault Ste Marie outlet, or a user may go the local The Brick outlet to place an order or pick-up hardware. The Sault store keeps a number of data hubs available for immediate pick-up and can have handsets, except Apple iPhones, available within 24 hours.
The authorized Wawa agency and consequently the Sault Ste Marie “pick-up” point can only provide hardware that will be “homed” to the Tbaytel network. Therefore the user must have a home or service address that indicates the primary connection to the network will be through a Tbaytel tower. For all practical purposes, this means the user must live or have business address north of the Sixth Line/ Hwy 17 intersection in the Sault.
All financial aspects will be in accordance with the Tbaytel pricing plans and policies. Details are available at the general Tbaytel website or the 3G/4G HSPA page.
The above does not impact on the ability of Tbaytel hardware to have full access to the Rogers network when the user is away from the primary address.
Sault Ste. Marie
11 WHITE OAK DRIVE EAST
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario P6B 4J7
(705) 759-5083
Wawa
41 BROADWAY AVENUE
WAWA, Ontario P0S 1K0
(705) 856-4252
1-(800) 270-9365
A complete list of Tbaytel agents can be seen here.

CRTC Annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report Covering 2010

2011-08-04T11:11:00.001-04:00

The CRTC issued their annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report for 2010 in July 2011. The following extract from the executive summary is published without comment. The full summary is available at this link and the download of the whole report is available at this link.

Telecommunications

Growth in the telecommunications industry was driven by newer services, including broadband Internet services and wireless services.

Broadband Internet

The CRTC’s report found that 77% of the 13.4 million households in Canada had an Internet subscription, with many subscribers preferring higher download speeds. The percentage of households with an Internet connection featuring download speeds of at least 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) jumped from 62% to 70% in one year. Additionally, subscriptions to Internet download speeds of at least 5 Mbps rose from 44% to 52%.

A broadband Internet connection allows users to stream and download high-quality audiovisual content, and access online government, health and educational services. With an average of 5.5 Mbps, Canada ranked second only to Japan in an international comparison of Internet download speeds.

During 2010, the average residential broadband user downloaded 14.8 gigabytes per month, which is the equivalent of viewing more than 20 movies.

Wireless services

In 2010, advanced wireless networks that support smartphones and other devices that connect to the Internet extended to 97% of the Canadian population. Adoption of wireless services continued to grow as the number of subscribers increased by 8.5% to 25.8 million. This contrasts with the number of subscribers to home telephone services, which decreased by 0.9% to 12.6 million.

New competitors began making inroads in the major Canadian markets, capturing 25% of new subscribers. Although they offered mostly prepaid subscriptions, their competitive presence contributed to a reduction in the average revenue per user from $58.81 to $57.86 per month.

Local North Sault Tbaytel Agency Placed on Hold – 02 Aug 11

2011-08-02T16:44:00.001-04:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, it became necessary to remove the information about The Brick outlet in Sault Ste. Marie selling the Tbaytel Rocket Hub immediately and handsets in September.

We are hopeful there will be a quick and favourable resolution to the problem.

In the meantime, The Brick outlet in Wawa remains a Tbaytel hardware outlet for both the Rocket Hubs and handsets.

Wawa
41 BROADWAY AVENUE
WAWA, Ontario P0S1K0
(705) 856-4252

Echo Bay/Hwy 638 Cell Site Active 26 Jul 11

2011-07-26T20:55:00.002-04:00

The new Bell 3G/4G HSPA became active on the afternoon of 26 Jul 11.
Details about what equipment will work with the site is at the previous blog about the tower.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy Service–22 Jul 11

2011-07-22T11:02:00.003-04:00

See this entry for updated information.

Tbaytel continues to experience problems with the Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy fixed wireless site. At the moment an antenna problem is not allowing the site to transmit or receive the wireless signal at the necessary strength. This problem does not affect the either of the cellular sites – the CDMA (Tbaytel/Bell) or the HSPA (Tbaytel/Rogers). They continue to operate normally.
Unfortunately, due to a clerical error the local Canopy installer was informed the site was operational. On a few occasions, including at my residence, he was unable to receive a strong enough signal and thus could not install the service. I am working with Tbaytel to determine if some user sites require a re-rest.
For the technically inclined, the receive signal has to be stronger than -80 dBm and preferably in the -75 dBm range.
Tbaytel anticipates it will be 2-3 weeks before they resolve the problem.

Lack of Bell HSPA Coverage in North Algoma

2011-07-22T10:41:00.001-04:00

As most readers are aware, the technology used to provide cellular telephone and cellular based broadband (high speed) Internet in the North Sault/North Algoma area and the whole SSM to TB highway corridor in general is a bit of a mess to say the least with Rogers HSPA only (No GSM) available and Bell CDMA only (no HSPA) available.

I recently wrote to my mid-level management contacts at Bell Canada expressing on behalf of the people of the North Sault area our grave concern with the lack of Bell HSPA coverage in the North Algoma District. [Editorial Comment: Experience has taught me it is often better to discuss problems with middle management personnel who can actually do something than to try and get through the firewall of assistants that usually surround the CEO.]

While Bell acts to improve the coverage in the East Algoma and West Sault areas, as explained in the linked blogs, the north seems to be a bit of a forgotten area in terms of overt activity to improve the service with the sole exception of the Deferral Account roll-out in Goulais River scheduled for 2013.

From other sources, I do know Bell management is looking at the situation in considerable detail and I am optimistic that some form of corrective activity may be in place before the aforementioned Deferral Account program.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy Update 15 Jul 11

2011-07-15T16:42:00.001-04:00

According to a report from Tbaytel today, they have not yet activated the Canopy fixed wireless site at Goulais (Buttermilk) and it is not available for customer service. There are unspecified "technical issues" involved with the site. Tbaytel did not provide a date as to when the site would go operational.

There has been a little confusion over the site as some of the local installers may have received misinformation about the site being available. In addition, the site is emanating a very weak signal that can give the false impression the site is working.

I will provide more information as it becomes available.

Only Batchawana and Searchmont Left for HSPA

2011-07-15T15:51:00.002-04:00

With the activation and launch of the Ryan site this month, only the sites at Batchawana and Searchmont are left to receive the HSPA overlay. I have no dates at this time for when this will occur.
This map extract from the Rogers Coverage map shows the approximate coverage area (without Ryan) in red that has 3G/4G HSPA coverage. The major 3G/4G HSPA coverage gap between SSM and Sudbury will be filled by the project previously announced in this East Algoma new site blog.

East Algoma Cell Site Echo Bay/Hwy 638

2011-07-08T10:47:00.003-04:00

This entry provides an update on the previous blog concerning funding for the new Bell cell site at Echo Bay Hwy 638. As can be seen in this photo taken 05 Jul 2011, the construction phase is progressing quite well. There is no change in the previously announced in-service date of fall 2011.

Original photo provided by Morry Brown

I remind users that this is a Bell 3G/4G HSPA only site. Older 2/2.5G CDMA phone technology will not be able to access the site. Telus 3G/4G HSPA hardware will work with the site. Users wishing to take advantage of the site need to ensure their hardware is 3G/4G HSAP compatible. The site will work with Smartphones and HSPA data hubs.
Rogers hardware will not work with this new Bell site.

Correction for FIDO Coverage

2011-07-04T12:06:00.001-04:00

I wish to correct an entry in my comment to Larry Ash dated July 3, 2011 12:22 in this blog entry concerning Rogers’s FIDO flanker brand. I stated “..Fido will also not work due to frequency incompatibility. The North Sault HSPA operates on the 850 MHz band while Fido operates on the 1900 MHz band. “

While FIDO originally and still does operate in the 1900 MHz band, the new FIDO hardware and SIM card also allows operation in the 850 MHZ band. Therefore, FIDO HSPA hardware is technically capable of gaining access to Rogers’s total HSPA network. However, I would verify by actual trial that it really works on the Tbaytel/Rogers network before signing a long term, non-revocable contract.

I apologize for the incorrect information provided previously.

Baldhead and Montreal River HSPA Launched 30 Jun 11

2011-06-30T19:55:00.003-04:00

Baldhead and Montreal River can be added to the list of active Tbaytel 3G/4G HSPA sites in the Algoma District.
This is the overall status originally dated 30 Jun 11 and updated on 15 Jul 11.

Pays Platt	Launched
Horn	Launched
Neys	TBD
Bamoos	Launched
Hemlo Bell	TBD
White River	Launched
Marion Lake	Launched
Desolation	TBD
Dubreuilville	TBD
Chapleau	TBD
Wawa	Launched
Michipicoten	Launched
Baldhead	Launched
Montreal River	Launched
Ryan	Launched
Batchawana	TBD
Bellevue	Launched
Searchmont	TBD

Goulais (Buttermilk) HSPA Site On-Line 21 Jun 11

2011-06-22T10:29:00.001-04:00

The Goulais (Buttermilk) 3G/4G HSPA service came on line on 21 Jun 11.

This means that three sites in the North Sault area are now providing 3G/4G HSPA service – Bellevue, Goulais (Buttermilk) and Heyden.

These sites use 3G/4G technology that is compatible with the Rogers network hardware as well as hardware procured from Tbaytel.

Bell/Telus 2G/2.5G CDMA compatible hardware will continue to work in that mode but Bell/Telus 3G/4G HSPA hardware will not work.

The plan to roll-out of additional HSPA sites at Searchmont and along the Hwy 17 corridor will continue over the summer. Exact dates are not available at this time.

There is still no date as to when the Goulais (Buttermilk) Canopy fixed wireless broadband (high speed Internet) will be in service.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Operational in CDMA Mode Only 20 Jun 11

2011-06-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

Up dated 22 Jun 11- Goulais (Buttermilk) 3G/4G HSPA became operational on 21 Jun 11

Tbaytel confirmed on Monday, 20 Jun 11 that only Bell/Tbaytel CDMA service is currently available from the Goulais (Buttermilk) site.

Canopy broadband (high speed Internet) and Rogers/Tbaytel HSPA is not yet available.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Cell and Broadband Site as of 18 Jun 11

2011-06-18T21:51:00.001-04:00

The Goulais (Buttermilk) site may be working. While I have not received any confirmation from Tbaytel, I have received reports from a number of other sources stating that they seem to be getting a functional CDMA signal from the site.

I drove around the site in Saturday afternoon and along Hwy 17. I also got a CDMA signal but I found it rather inconsistent. It fluctuated from one to five bars in a very short distance.

I do not have any HSPA test equipment so if anyone in the areas of Goulais (Buttermilk) with a Rogers or Tbaytel HSPA handset, is getting a signal please post something in the comment section below.

I have no word on the Canopy broadband (high-speed Internet) at this time.

I hope to get a confirmation of the official status of the Goulais (Buttermilk) site from Tbaytel on Monday and will update at that time.

East Algoma et al New Cell Site Location List

2011-06-14T20:22:00.002-04:00

On 14 Jun 11 , NOHFC announced funding for 24 new cellular telephone sites in Northern Ontario.
Of particular interest to the residents of East Algoma, are the four new cell towers to be built near Spanish and Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation along the Hwy17 corridor, and Highway 108 and Highway 639 in the Elliott Lake region. These sites will help close the current gaps in highway coverage.
This announcement culminates the collaborative efforts of ADnet, Blue Sky Net and NetCentral to improve the overall cellular coverage in their respective regions . ADnet thanks NetCentral for acting as the lead CBN on the project over the past 4 years.
This is a full list of the sites approved by NOHFC:
The following sites to be constructed and operated by Rogers. The dollar amount shown is the NOHFC share of the public-private partnership for the $15.8 million project.

$1.9 million for two (2) cell sites on Hwy 108 (one north of the city and one near the airport) and two (2) sites on Hwy 17 near Spanish and Sagamok First Nation
$2.9 million for six (6) sites including Bonfield, Hwys 654/534, West Arm of Lake Nipissing, Hwy 64 near Alban, Shane and Monetville
$3.4 million for seven (7) sites including the Town of Temagami, Hwy 11 near Martin River, Hwy 64 near Field and Loon Bay, and three (3) sites on Hwy 63 from North Bay to Temiscaming (Feronia, Balsam Creek and Hwy 63/533)
$3.4 million for seven (7) sites on Manitoulin Island including Hwy 6 near Willisville, Whitefish Falls, Sheguiandah First Nation, Manitowaning and South Baymouth), Mindemoya (Hwy 542/551) and M’Chigeeng First Nation

The sites will be built by Rogers in the 2012/2013 time frame.They will be 3G/4G HSPA capable which means they can provide both voice and broadband service.

North Sault Broadband Implementation Report 10 Jun 11

2011-06-10T12:20:00.001-04:00

The limited feedback I received to date concerning the implementation of the Canopy fixed wireless broadband in the North Sault area is very positive. Users appear happy to be getting the service and are satisfied with the quantitative improvements over dial-up or satellite service.

One report indicates a download speed of 3.75 Mbps and an upload speed of .92 Mbps. While this may not seem like much to urban dwellers in places like Ottawa where Rogers announced they will introduce wireless (cellular) LTE service via a data stick in the 300 Mbps/70 Mbps range later this summer, it is a marked improvement.

I have received one account that a potential user was in a Canopy wireless “dead zone” and could not receive a signal with the necessary strength. Even so, he was very complementary about the effort made by the installer to try all options in an attempt to find a location on the property that might get a signal. He may try the 3G/4G HSPA service discussed below.

I am also getting feedback that people within range of the Bellevue tower 3G/4G HSPA service are using Rogers data hubs to install broadband (high speed Internet) and home phone service. One comment said the data hubs are out-of-stock until next week in the local area. Additional information on how this works is available through this ADnet website link

More people are likely to take–up this choice as additional 3G/4G HSPA sites come on line.

Deferral Account Information as of 08 Jun 11

2011-06-10T11:29:00.001-04:00

Readers interested in the latest information on the Bell Canada Deferral Account project for the areas of Echo Bay, Goulais River, St. Joseph Island and SSM – Airport should refer to the ADnet website where I posted the latest information available to me as of 8 Jun 11.

It’s Magic – Tbaytel Grows a Generation

2011-06-06T14:11:00.001-04:00

Tbaytel has now joined the other cellular companies and Xplornet Communications in calling their networks 4G HSPA+ as shown in this extract from their website.

To read my opinion of this change, see the blog entry The Latest on 3G and 4G Terminology.

Additional HSPA Sites Operational Along Hwy 17 North

2011-05-31T14:13:00.001-04:00

The following cellular sites along the Hwy 17 corridor north from the Sault towards Thunder Bay are now operational in both the 2/2.5G CDMA (Bell, Telus and Tbaytel compatible hardware only) mode and the 3G HSPA (Rogers and Tbaytel compatible hardware only) mode. A single handset capable of both 2/2.5G CDMA and 3G HSPA operation is not available :

Bellevue
Michipicoten
Wawa
Marion Lake
White River

Additional sites are scheduled for commissioning between now and September 2011.

Bellevue and Heyden Canopy Wireless Broadband Operational

2011-05-30T16:35:00.002-04:00

Tbaytel has confirmed in writing that the Bellevue and Heyden broadband (high speed Internet) Canopy systems are now operational effective Monday, May 30, 2011 at 12:30 pm. Residents of the North Sault area within range of one of these towers can now get better access to the Internet.

The area installer has also confirmed that he has received the go ahead from Tbaytel.
To order the service, contact Tbaytel customer service at 1-800-264-9501 or customercare@tbaytel.net

I hope some of you will have service in the next few days. I would be interested in hearing if and when you get access and what you think of the service. Either contact me directly or use the comment section below.

North Sault Broadband Installations To Start 30 May 11

2011-05-26T11:29:00.001-04:00

Tbaytel has started to contact users who registered for the Canopy wireless broadband (high speed Internet) service to arrange site visits to confirm the availability of the signal and to carry out installations.

Tbaytel uses computer generated coverage projection models to determine which access point provides coverage in the user’s area. For the initial phase, areas covered by the Bellevue and Heyden access sites will be contacted followed shortly by people in the Goulais (Buttermilk) area. As previously reported, there is considerable pent-up demand and it may take a while to get around to all potential users.

The visits are scheduled to start the week of 30 May 11.

These new access point sites join the Batchawana and Searchmont sites that have been providing service for nearly a year.

Bellevue HSPA Operational

2011-05-26T11:10:00.001-04:00

Tbaytel informed me that the Bellevue HSPA cell site is now operational.

This means users with Rogers or Tbaytel 3G HSPA hardware i.e smart phones should be able to get service in the coverage area. The site will not work with Rogers 2/2.5G GSM hardware.

Bell and Telus 3G HSPA will not work with the new service.The site will continue to provide Tbaytel and Bell/Telus 2/2.5G CDMA service. In other words, if you were able to use your cell phone previously, the new HSPA service will have no effect.

Tbaytel will be providing more details on the HSPA service in due course and I will provide particulars as they become known.

Stats Can Internet Survey

2011-05-25T13:28:00.001-04:00

Statistics Canada has released its most recent Canadian Internet Use Survey. the full report is available at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/110525/dq110525b-eng.htm.

In my opinion, this is probably the single most important document affecting national policy decision about the roll-out of universal Internet access in Canada.

There are some interesting conclusions in the report about availability. access, and usage. I am sure the report will generate a lot comments in various places.

This is a major note from the report. Note the definition of CMA.

Note to readers

The 2010 Canadian Internet Use Survey, sponsored by Industry Canada, was conducted in October and November as a supplement to the Labour Force Survey.

Redesigned for 2010, this survey now consists of a household component, which measures home access, and an individual component, which measures online behaviours.

This release features home Internet access, based on a sample of about 30,000 households. Data on individual online behaviours will be released later in 2011.

Definitions

The "Home Internet access" rate is the proportion of households with access to the Internet from home.

The survey asked about the type of "devices" used to access the Internet, including a desktop or laptop computer; a video games console; a BlackBerry, iPhone or other wireless handheld device; and other devices.

The "Home high-speed access" rate is the proportion of households with a self-reported high-speed connection to access the Internet from home.

A census metropolitan area (CMA) and a census agglomeration (CA) consist of one or more neighbouring municipalities situated around a major urban core. A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000, of which 50,000 or more live in the urban core. A CA must have an urban core population of at least 10,000.

The rate of home Internet access also varies by household size and composition

SSM–Airport Deferral Account News 20 May 11

2011-05-20T11:25:00.002-04:00

It appears that Bell Canada is moving ahead with Deferral Account development work in the SSM – Airport areas. This is in spite of the appeal submitted by Rogers to the federal cabinet.

Bell Canada hosted a public information meeting in Sault Ste. Marie Sault on 19 May 11 to receive input and comment on two new cell sites proposed for the Sault west end. This is part of the formal process required by Industry Canada regulations pertaining to the construction of new towers. No objectives were raised about the sites. This is not surprising as I was the only one from the public in attendance.

The sites are to be located at 978-B Second Line West (near Allens Sideroad) and Carpin Beach Road near Second Line West.

The first site is a gap filler site funded by Bell but the Carpin Beach Road site in the middle of one of the Distribution Serving Areas (DSA) designated as a Deferral Account area. The Bell representative further indicated that he would be checking sites in the Nokomis and Pointe Louise areas as part of the Deferral Account roll out.

These actions seem to indicate that the program schedule published in Feb 2010 showing a 2011 construction start date and 2012 service start date is still valid.

Clarification of Pay-As-You-Go Availability

2011-05-13T13:51:00.001-04:00

I wish to issue an apology and a clarification to the blog on the new Heyden cell site.

The clarification concerns Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) phones. A PAYG will only work with the Tbaytel cell sites if the hardware is compatible with the Tbaytel network and Tbaytel has a roaming agreement with the PAYG service provider.

If the hardware is compatible, there should be an indication of network connectivity i.e. some signal strength bars showing and dialling 611 will result in a recorded message from Tbaytel. The completion of normal phone calls will not be possible.

Funding for Desbarats and Echo Bay Cell Sites

2011-05-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

NOHFC today made public the previously approved funding support for two Bell Mobility cellular telephone sites in the East Algoma area. The Desbarats site has been operational since December, 2010 and it is anticipated the Echo Bay site will be on-line by the fall of 2011. Both sites will use the latest 3G HSPA technology but will not be backwards compatible with the older 2/2.5G CDMA technology.

The Desbarats site has been well received by the residents in the coverage area, particularly for its ability to provide broadband (high-speed Internet) service as well as voice service. Please refer to the Bell Canada website for additional information about their broadband (high-speed Internet) data plans .

NetCentral, based in Sudbury, is lead Community Based Network (CBN) for the project. As the local Algoma partner ADnet provides the management coordination and local knowledge input for the sites which are located in the ADnet catchment area.

ADnet and NetCentral have been working initially with with NOHFC and subsequently Bell Canada for over 3 years to get the funding support in place. The process involved an open, transparent and competitive bidding process followed by extensive negotiations to ensure optimum benefits to the public.

CRTC Announces Broadband Targets

2011-05-05T12:17:00.001-04:00

The following is from a CRTC press release of May 3..2011 and is posted without commentary at this time.

“The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today set a target for broadband Internet access services across Canada. By the end of 2015, the CRTC expects all Canadians to have access to broadband speeds of at least 5 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads.

"A well-developed broadband infrastructure will serve as a gateway for Canadians to participate in the digital economy," said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. "The target we have established is the minimum speed we believe consumers in rural and remote areas should be able to receive. The industry is actively responding to market demands and we have every confidence in its ability to meet the target."

The CRTC anticipates that this target will be reached through a combination of private investments, targeted government funding and public-private partnerships. The launch of new satellites and advances in wireless technologies will make it possible to provide Canadians in rural and remote regions with reliable broadband connections at reasonable rates and higher speeds than those available today.

Despite Canada's unique geography, 95% of households currently have access to Internet download speeds of at least 1.5 Mbps through telephone, cable or fixed-wireless networks. Over 80% of households already have access to download speeds of 5 Mbps or higher.

The CRTC will closely monitor the industry's progress in reaching the target”

Heyden CDMA Cell Site Operational

2011-04-30T21:05:00.004-04:00

Heyden cell site is on the air!

A year after the tower was constructed. Tbaytel turned up the cell over the April 29th weekend. The site is 2/2.5 CDMA and that means Rogers hardware will not connect to the site. Bell, Telus, Virgin Mobile and other CDMA based hardware will work. Some pay-as-you-go (prepaid) service add-ons may not work but the basic voice service will.

I understand they used an older software build to get the site operational rather than wait for the latest version. This has no direct impact on the user except a disruption of service for 30-60 minutes next month during early morning hours to allow installation of the latest version.

I drove from Capt. Tilley Park on Saturday, 30 Apr 11 and had an usable cell signal all the way along Hwy 552 West and Hwy 17 into Sault Ste. Marie.

The next step is to get the Canopy broadband (high-speed Internet) service up and running. As previously noted this is scheduled for the end of May timeframe.

From my personal knowledge, discussions with Tbaytel and other sources, I know there is a large number of people interested in getting the Canopy service. The local installer has hired more assistants. He will likely be able to handle between three and five installations a day, subject to the vagaries of the ease of install, travel time to the locale, weather and other things that can affect the work. Therefore, it may take a few days or even weeks to meet the desires of all potential users.

Once the Canopy service is ready to accept users, Tbaytel will get in touch with those who have previously contacted Tbaytel Customer at 1-800-264-9501 or mailto:customercare@tbaytel.net and arrange an appointment.

Goulais River Broadband

2011-04-15T15:17:00.001-04:00

By the end of May 2011 many in the Goulais River will have access to not one but two different broadband delivery technologies provided by Tbaytel. This comes after years without broadband (high speed Internet) coupled with numerous delays.

The services are:

Fixed wireless based on the Motorola Canopy system; and
3G HSPA based cellular data service (see this blog for more details)

Both systems will use wireless technology and the towers at Batchawana, Bellevue, Goulais (Buttermilk),Heyden and Searchmont will be the base stations for access. Ideally electronic Line-of-sight (LOS) with one of the base stations is necessary to acquire the signal and the acquired signal has to have the necessary signal strength measured in dBm.

Unfortunately, the characteristics of wireless technology mean that there will likely be potential users who cannot receive the necessary radio signal.

The chances of receiving signal can be enhanced by using a pop-up type installation for the fixed wireless or adding an external Yagi antenna in the case of 3G HSPA.Tbaytel can address the pop-up antenna issue and Northland Consultants can address the Yagi antenna issue

The fixed wireless will likely be available a few weeks before the 3G HSPA service. However, it requires the services of a professional installer as arranged through Tbaytel. The 3G HSPA technology can be self-install once the hardware is acquired. See the notes under Wireless Type in the chart below.

These technology are not interchangeable with each having advantages and disadvantages There are notable differences in download/upload speed, hardware, flexibility ,data caps, and price. End users will have to decide what meets their needs beat. Some people may want to get both services.

The following chart addresses some of these issues.

Wireless Type	Advantage	Disadvantage	Cost
Fixed Wireless Small panel or yagi antenna installed on user residence.	1. Relatively inexpensive to install 2. Consistent data speed compared to satellite. 3. Medium range initial user cost 4. Can connect to LAN 5. No data cap	1. Limited data speed 2. Line-of-sight to base station required 3. Subject to terrain masking 4. Requires professional installation.	MRC: $47.95 * Speed: up to 4 Mbps but 1.5 Mbps is the norm. Activation OTC: $75.00 Pop-up Tower (if needed) $300.00
3G HSPA Data Stick or Data Hub connected to computer. Can use external antenna for better speeds	1. Greatest data speed available in area 2. Broadband and cellular capable 3. Expensive initial user cost without contract 4. Can connect to LAN 5. Can be self installed.	1. Line-of-sight to base station. 2. Speed drops farther user gets from base station 3. Expensive if basic data caps are exceeded 3. Subject to terrain masking	MRC: $35.00 – 1 GB ** $65.00 – 5 GB Speed: up to 7Mbps rural; 21Mbps urban Data Hub Cost Purchase $400.00 Reduced if specific length contract signed Data Stick Cost Purchase $130.00 Reduced if specific length contract signed
* MSRP – may be reduced by bundling or other deals.	** Based on latest rates published on Tbaytel website as of 15 Apr 11.

3G HSPA Explanation

The network infrastructure being installed by Tbaytel is compatible with the Rogers network infrastructure. That means that Bell or Telus Smartphones, iPads, Data Hubs etc. will not operate or connect to the network. Bell and Telus CDMA phones will continue to work in the area.

The necessary hardware needs to be acquired from Tbaytel, Rogers or their authorized agents. However, the exact financial impact such as roaming charges for using Rogers hardware over the Tbaytel network has not been made clear at this time.

Signs of Work Seen at Bellevue Tower

2011-04-13T16:41:00.001-04:00

I saw riggers working on the Bellevue tower when I checked out the site on Wednesday, 13 Apr 11. With the use of binoculars from my vantage point on Bellevue Valley road, it appeared the person on the tower was installing the remedial support hardware required by the tower owner, MTS Allstream.

Once the hardware installation is finished, microwave dishes may be installed at Bellevue, Goulais (Buttermilk) and Heyden as early as next week. They will then be “panned” or aligned, followed by testing. This whole process could take a couple of weeks.

If all goes according to plan, the fixed wireless Canopy broadband system and the 2/2.5G CDMA (Bell/Telus compatible) cellular service may be operational by the end of Apr.

Election 2011 Broadband Positions

2011-04-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

The following are extracts from the political parties’ platforms as downloaded from their official party website. The information is provided in alphabetical order by party name.

Conservative Party Platform Broadband

In 2010 we consulted experts and businesspeople on positioning Canada to seize the opportunities presented by new information communications technologies. Our purpose is to build on our actions so far in this area:

our plan to extend broadband coverage to 200,000 additional households in rural and remote regions; and

our successful efforts to increase competition and choice and to lower costs for wireless consumers.

Later this spring, a re-elected Stephen Harper Government will announce

and begin implementing a Digital Economy Strategy, focused on five priorities:

building world-class digital infrastructure;

encouraging businesses to adopt digital technologies;

supporting digital skills development;

fostering the growth of Canadian companies supplying digital technologies to global markets; and

creating made-in-Canada content across all platforms, to bring Canada to the world.

To achieve these goals, among other specific actions we will:

support collaborative projects between colleges and small- and medium-sized businesses to accelerate the adoption of information and communications technologies;

promote enrolment in post-secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs; and

build Canada’s digital content through additional support for the Canada Media Fund.

Green Party Platform

Recognize that access to high-speed internet connections is now a critical aspect of infrastructure and work to expand access to address the “digital divide.”

Liberal Party Platform Broadband

Access to Broadband for All Canadians.

Liberals consider access to a high-speed broadband Internet connection essential infrastructure, just as the electricity grid and the telephone network were over a century ago. A Liberal government will publicly tender contracts for private companies to install broadband capacity for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians in rural, remote or northern areas who do not currently have access. To make those contracts economical for private investment, we will provide $500 million in support, allowing Canada to achieve basic high-speed Internet access for all Canadian households within three years. The source of that investment will be the next spectrum auction for wireless licensing rights.

An Open Internet. The Internet is today’s principal conduit for the free flow of ideas. To ensure it fosters the uninhibited exchange that innovation requires, Canada’s Internet environment must remain open. Internet traffic management must remain neutral, and maintain the open sharing of legitimate technologies, ideas and applications. A fair, effective wholesale regime is also essential to allow smaller Internet service providers to lease broadband infrastructure at fair prices.

Rural Broadband

Canada’s economy is increasingly knit together through the internet. As jobs, education, and communication become more dependent on the internet, Canadians without access or relevant skills will be left behind.

In 2006, Canada’s Telecommunications Review Panel recommended the federal government achieve 100 percent high-speed internet connectivity by 2010. This goal was not achieved under the Conservative government. According to the CRTC, in 2009 close to 800,000 Canadian households (20 percent of all rural Canadians) still could not access high-speed internet. Although Canada ranked second in the world in internet connectivity in 2000, we’ve now fallen to tenth place. This threatens our economic competitiveness and quality of life.

Using proceeds from the upcoming spectrum auction slated for 2012, a Liberal government will set a goal of 100 percent high-speed internet connectivity of at least 1.5 MB/sec for all Canadian communities within three years of being elected. This commitment will increase the availability of affordable line and wireless connectivity, and improve mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

NDP Platform Broadband

Ensuring all Canadians have access to broadband and a robust digital Economy

• We will apply the proceeds from the advanced wireless spectrum auction to ensure all Canadians, no matter they live, will have quality high-speed broadband internet access;

• We will expect the major internet carriers to contribute financially to this goal;

• We will rescind the 2006 Conservative industry-directive to the CRTC and direct the regulator to for the public interest, not just the major telecommunications companies;

• We will enshrine “net neutrality” in law, end price “net throttling,” with clear rules for Internet Service (ISPs), enforced by the CRTC;

• We will prohibit all forms of usage-based billing Internet Service Providers (ISPs);

• We will introduce a bill on copyright reform to Canada complies with its international treaty obligations, balancing consumers’ and creators’ rights.

Latest Deferral Account News for 24 Mar 11

2011-03-24T10:53:00.006-04:00

Update of 08 Jun 11 available here.

The word coming out of Ottawa is that the other shoe has dropped on the Deferral Account issue.

As reported in my previous blog, Rogers threatened to appeal to the federal cabinet any decision by the CRTC to approve Bell’s use of Deferral Account funds to provide broadband service using 3G HSPA cellular technology. Nevertheless, the CRTC moved ahead and approved the Bell application.

Rogers did indeed file a petition and is asking the federal cabinet to direct the CRTC to rescind the decision and establish a competitive process to allow potential Bell competitor to gain access to the Deferral Account funds if they can provide the equivalent or better broadband service more cost effectively than Bell’s proposal.

The impact this appeal process will have on the Deferral Account schedule is unknown at this time.

The full Rogers submission can be accessed at this web address.

Gros Cap Area Added to Vianet Wireless Coverage Map

2011-03-23T10:18:00.002-04:00

Update on 06 Jun 11. The wireless expansion is now complete and operational. My thanks to "Anonymous" for keeping me up-to-date on this expansion.

The Vianet website map is now showing the future coverage arc for the Gros Cap area. No operational date is indicated.

Additional details of the service can be found in this blog entry.

The Importance of a Safe Tower

2011-03-23T10:06:00.001-04:00

I appreciate that there is frustration concerning the delays in the activation of the fixed wireless service in the North Sault area due to the time it is taking to retrofit the Bellevue tower to accept the additional antenna load.

However, the importance of ensuring that the tower is sturdy enough to support the load was recently presented on Manitoulin Island.

An account in the Manitoulin Expositor on March 09, 2011 by Michael Erskine reported the following:

“Violent winds toppled a key tower providing wireless Internet services to Wikwemikong and Sheguiandah recently resulting in a weeklong interruption in what has become a vital communication service. But the toppled tower quickly revealed that mechanical failure was just the beginning of the problems of web surfers in the affected regions.

“Manitoulin ISP operator Craig Timmermans provided the tower's services to the Internet provider OmniGlobe Networks and spent a frustrating week trying to determine how the damaged tower and equipment would be repaired.

"They really had too much gear on my tower," noted Mr. Timmermans, who said that he felt the loading of the tower played a role in its demise in the high winds.”

As understand it, in the Manitoulin case only Internet traffic was affected. If the Bellevue tower suffered the same fate, both cell and broadband service at the Goulais (Buttermilk), Heyden and Searchmont sites would also be loss.

I think we can all agree it is better to be safe than sorry.

North Sault Update 07 Mar 11

2011-03-07T11:43:00.001-05:00

I debated long and hard about this posting due to the many previous disappointments. In spite of what Einstein said, I believe I still have my sanity so, as the messenger, I will give it a go.

My Tbaytel contact provided me with a detailed scheduled indicating the work that still needed to be done. This plan calls for system operational testing to be completed around the 08 Apr 10.

There are two critical path items in the plan:

The professional engineer approves and signs the engineering drawing so the reinforcing steel and mounting structure s for the Bellevue tower can be fabricated. This is scheduled for 08 Mar 11.
Weather does not cause a delay. Personnel have to actually climb and work on the three towers concerned - Bellevue, Goulais (Buttermilk) and Heyden – and personal safety will always be a factor.

It then becomes a matter of scheduling a user site visit by the Canopy equipment installer. This can be arranged by contacting Tbaytel Customer Service Customer Service at 807- 623-4400 or 1-800-264-9501 or Email: customercare@tbaytel.net

Cell phone users can enjoy the improved coverage immediately.

New Cell Site in Wawa Area

2011-03-01T12:11:00.001-05:00

A new Tbaytel cell site serving the area south from Wawa along Hwy 17 is now operational. The tower is located at the Toke Mountain Ski Area.

Initial reports indicate that there is service improvement in the area. There is a good cell signal at the landfill site, all of Mission now has service, and there is a signal along Harbour Road up to Tremblay Flats Road.

The Latest on 3G and 4G Terminology

2011-02-17T11:39:00.001-05:00

This entry updates my previous entry concerning the impact of HSPA only sites. It addresses recent changes in the generation or G nomenclature, in particular the use of 4G, LTE and WiMAX.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations sponsored regulatory body for such things, held the World Radiocommunication Seminar 2010 (WRS-10) in Geneva, Switzerland the week of December 06, 2010.

One of the decisions was that the collective name for the next generation of wireless services will be called International Mobile Telecommunications - Advanced (IMT-Advanced) and have the two components “LTE-Advanced” and “WirelessMAN-Advanced”

In a related announcement, it approved the use of the term 4G for LTE or WiMAX technologies and “other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation.”

This legitimized a practice the major US vendors started using a year ago as they increased their data speeds with HSPA and HSPA+ (LTE) or EV-DO Rec C (WiMAX) technology and started to identify the service as 4G in the their major advertising campaigns with a note in the fine print that it was using enhanced 3G equipment.

Canadian carriers continued to use the more traditional terms. This led to some amusing entries in technical forums and newspaper comment sections by officious sounding experts bemoaning the fact that Canada was stuck in 3G while the US was already using 4G. In reality, Canada was ahead on the US in deploying the advanced technology but adhering to the internationally approve terminology.

Once the ITU announced the new guidelines, the Canadian carriers jumped quickly onto the bandwagon. These two press releases by Telus, one in 2010 and one in 2011 illustrate the point. In 2010, the 42 Mbps download was called Dual carrier HSPA+. In 2011 Telus touted the same system as 4G. I would expect the other major cell vendors will be close behind. Barrett Xplornet is currently proclaiming their new wireless and satellite services as 4G.

Maybe the meant to be humourous Best Buy Super Bowl with Bieber and Osborne about a 6G phone may not be that far off after all.

North Sault Broadband and Cellular News 12 Feb 2011

2011-02-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

Followers of the blog with an interest in the status of the North Sault broadband (high-speed Internet) and cellular service will by now be aware that the services are still not available.
The best I can report is I am receiving updates to the effect that the remedial work required by MTS Allstream on their Bellevue tower before they will approve Tbaytel mounting their equipment is taking longer than planned. The delays are attributed to engineering design work, engineering coordination and the weather. Much of this work is being done by third party contractors.
The Heyden and Goulais (Buttermilk) sites are ready. Once the tower reinforcement and the antenna mounting hardware work is completed at Bellevue, the necessary broadband and microwave antennas will be installed. The system can then become operational
The Bellevue tower is critical to providing service as it acts as the hub and spoke with links to the Goulais (Buttermilk), Heyden and Searchmont sites.
As Albert Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Wishing to avoid insanity, I am not going to predict a new projected in-service date.
I am in regular contact with Tbaytel staff and will post any credible date they provide. In fairness, Tbaytel is somewhat at the mercy of the Bellevue tower owner, and their third party engineers, who has the final say on what can be mounted on their tower.
On a positive note, I received confirmation from Tbaytel that the 3G HSPA Rogers overlay project will be implemented in the Algoma District, including the North Sault area, this year. I will post additional information as it becomes available to me. See my blog for how it is working in other areas.

3G HSPA Broadband in South Algoma and West Sault

2011-02-12T10:39:00.001-05:00

I have received reports that the Northland Consultant team has been extremely busy installing external Yagi style antennas and connecting them to customer provided Bell or Rogers data hubs. My understanding is they have done installations on St. Joseph Island, on the mainland along the St Joseph North Channel, the area north of Bruce Mines towards Rydal Bank, Echo Lake Road area and the area south of the SSM airport.

Once set-up, speed tests show a 3-5 Mbps download and 2-4 Mbps upload. I guess I had better be like the ISPs and state that these are samples only and your actual statistics may vary due to terrain, weather, local situation and other acts of the technology gods.

If you are near any Bell or Rogers cell site and want broadband (high speed Internet), you may want to give this a try.

For more information about HSPA broadband, see my blog entry.

Pointes des Chênes and SSM Airport Wireless Broadband

2011-02-08T10:05:00.002-05:00

Vianet is offering wireless point-to-multipoint broadband service in the Pointes des Chênes and SSM Airport areas. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) will use wireless technology to deliver broadband (high-speed Internet) to the subscribers' premises. The figure following illustrates the basic components of wireless broadband (high-speed Internet) system. This wireless system is completely different from Wi-Fi or satellite systems.

Full details are available at http://vianet.ca/wireless_ssm_on.php

Summary and Map

Vianet’s Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Wireless

$49.95 /month
Equipment rental included
Speeds: Up to 1.5 Mbps downstream, up to 512 Kbps upstream
5 Email Accounts
Free Junk mail filtering
Webmail Access
100 MB of personal web space
No Charge Dialup connection if wireless access fails
One time Install charge of $149.95

Coverage Areas: Link
Sign Up Now: Online | By Fax

HSPA Availability

2011-01-22T15:06:00.001-05:00

Someone asked if the capability to access broadband (high-speed Internet) using 3G HSPA technology is only available through the Bell site at Desbarats.

The answer is no.

All Bell and most Rogers sites along the highway 17 corridor provide HSPA service. Both vendors sell #3 HSPA data hubs and data sticks These maps from the respective vendors and should be considered optimistic. The actual reception in any area is dependent upon a number of factors including but not limited to system availability and capacity, customer's equipment, signal strength, topography and environmental conditions. Each user location has to be considered independently.

Similar technology is coming to the North Sault area in the near future.

Bell Coverage Map

Rogers Coverage Map

Impact of HSPA Only Sites

2011-01-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Bell continues to make changes to its cellular network. Their newest site in our region was activated on 23 Dec 10 near Desbarats. This site only works with 3G HSPA technology.

Background

There are two principal ways to designate cellular telephone capabilities:

1. Main modulating techniques. The two originals were called CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) originally used by Bell/Telus and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) originally used by Rogers. (Think of it in terms of Sony Beta and VHS – incompatible techniques that do the same job). They developed along parallel tracks in Canada until 2008 when Bell and Telus announced they would be converting to HSPA by 2011. (Again think of VHS beating back the Sony Beta challenge.) While both major networks use the same technology network access is not interchangeable. The next major technology upgrade will be to LTE (Long Term Evolution) for HSPA networks or WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) for CDMA based networks.

There is another technology called AWS (Advanced Wireless Service) being used by some of the new entrants in the market place. They are currently not available in Northern Ontario so will not be discussed in this article.

2. Generation. As major upgrades in each technology were made, they were referred to as generations or G for short. They are:

a. 1G – This generation provided the original standard. It was analogue.

b. 2G – This generation made the transition from analogue to digital.

c. 2.5G – This unofficial generation took advantage of digital capability to offer data transfer.

d. 3G – This generation provides high speed data capability to allow video streaming and other data extensive applications. It ushered in the era of the Smartphones.

e. 4G – This generation will increase the data speed to around 1GBps download.

Generation/Technology Matrix

	Bell	Rogers
1G	CDMA¹	TDMA
2G	CDMA	GSM¹
2.5	CDMA	GSM
3G	HSPA¹	HSPA
4G	LTE	LTE

Note 1: As incremental improvements in the technology of each generation took place, modifiers were often added but the underlying technology remained the same. For example, as speeds increased HSPA became HSPA+ which in turn became HSPA x2 or Dual Cell HSPA.

Handsets and other Hardware

As of this time, handsets and hardware are unique to the network for which they were sold; a Bell/Telus handset will not work on the Rogers’s network and vice-à-versa. This should not be confused with roaming which allows a phone to operate on another network with the same technology if the operating agreements are in place.

Headsets and hardware are also defined by modes. Modes identify the generation and technology they are capable of operating within. Phones are classified from unimode to pentamode or 1 to 5 modes. Dual mode phones – analogue and digital were quite common at one time as were tri-mode phones.

Headsets and hardware are also defined by frequency bands. The various generations within each mode operate in different frequency bands. Some handsets can operate in up to five frequency bands.

Handsets do exist that combine both mode and bands but they are rare.

The newer Smartphones tend to be unimode as 3G HSPA is required to take advantage of the high data speeds and smart applications. This means that phones like the Apple iPhone will not operate on 2G/2.5 networks. Conversely, older model handsets will not operate on the HSPA networks.

Current Situation

When Bell and Rogers originally upgraded their networks from 2G to 3G, they used existing sites and left the 2G/2.5G equipment in place. In the case of Bell, this meant that the both the older CDMA based and newer 3G HSPA handsets could access the network through the same cell site.

With the addition of 3G HSPA only cell sites like Desbarats, this option is no longer available. People living within the coverage area of a 3G HSPA only cell sites will have to acquire 3G HSPA handsets or hardware to take advantage of the service.

On the positive side, 3G HSPA can provide broadband (high-speed Internet) service in area that currently does not have access to broadband service.

Both Bell/Telus and Rogers are actively testing LTE and it is expected there will be limited LTE capability in major urban areas within a year or so.

Data Speeds

Trying to identify realistic data speeds for the various generation/mode offerings is a challenging task. It would seem the public pronouncements are driven by marketeers and not technology. While the ITU has defined the basics, they are generally ignored. Almost all advertising have escape clauses like “up to ‘x’ number of Mbps” or “subject to network congestion”. Field testing in the Algoma area shows that a download in the range of 4-5 Mbps can be expected at the present time. Follow the link on HSAP Access on the ADnet website to see some of the factors that affect data speed.

Shaw Cellular Telephone

2011-01-07T13:57:00.002-05:00

There is a lot of chatter on the techy networks that Shaw Communications out of Calgary will enter the cellular wars as early as 01 Sep 11. Over the last few months the rumours have grown stronger.
An interesting facet of the latest buzz is that Shaw will bypass 3G technology and operate from the onset using 4G technology.

Shaw won frequencies in the so-called “D” band at 1735-1740 MHZ and 2135-2140 MHZ during the 2008 spectrum auction in the Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie areas.

Going directly to 4G only makes a lot of sense as it gives a major head start on the incumbents who are only in the 4G test stage. It also removes the need to expend resources on providing infrastructure on what is quickly becoming dated technology. As I noted in my post regarding the Desbarats tower, Bell is no longer installing 2G/2.5G CDMA in spite of fairly large customer base.

Unlike the other new entrants in the cellular market place such as Wind, Public and Mobilicity who are targeting basic voice and data user, Shaw is likely to take the Vidéotron approach of offering the professed holy grail - bundles with cellular/Internet/TV and landline (VoIP) all from one supplier.

It will be interesting to watch what happens over the next few months

Update: 04 Jun 11 - Shaw announced it will not be introducing cellular anywhere until 2012.

Bell Cellular Site at Desbarats Operational

2011-01-04T14:09:00.004-05:00

As reported in my entry about the Desbarats tower last month the site was indeed commissioned as planned on 23 Dec 10. However, over the holiday period, locals continued to tell me that this was not the case. It seemed the only things working were the warning lights. I was not able to get clarification until my contacts (at least the ones I have faith in) returned to work after New Years.

My contact told me he was seeing both voice and data traffic at the new site. After a few back and forth messages, the light went on; he kept identifying it as HSPA voice and data traffic so I asked what was now the blindingly obvious question: – Is the new site both CDMA and HSPA compatible?

The answer is no it isn’t – it is 3G HSPA only. An older type of Bell or Telus phone cannot get service off the tower. A new Smartphone, Turbo stick or Turbo hub is required.

Thus to access (or see) the new Desbarats tower, you will need a HSPA phone or a dual mode Bell HSPA/CDMA phone. If you cannot get a signal from the tower then you are likely using a CDMA (also called 2G or 2.5G) only phone. As far as I know the data hubs sold by Bell work in the HSPA mode and should see the tower. However be careful if you buy a used data stick as there are CDMA only models in circulation.

I suspect that this policy of HSPA sites only will apply to any future Bell sites activated.

Bellevue and Heyden Sites Update 22 Dec 10

2010-12-22T10:20:00.001-05:00

In what is becoming a mantra, Tbaytel has once again informed me of a delay for the activation of the Bellevue and Heyden sites. They are now projecting a date of sometime in January 2011.

This means a delay in wireless broadband (high-speed Internet) service from the Bellevue and Heyden tower sites as well as cell service from the Heyden site.

For what it is worth, they are citing construction delays on the Bellevue tower upgrade caused by weather coupled with, in their terms, a “brown out” period during the Christmas break.

I am seeking clarification of the whether the Goulais (Buttermilk) site will be activated as the same time.

Desbarats Cell Tower Hwy 17

2010-12-21T10:53:00.001-05:00

I have been informed that the new Bell cell tower outside Desbarats is scheduled for commissioning the week of 20 –24 Dec 10. This should improve connectivity in the south Tarbutt Township and North East St Joseph Island areas. The site is HSPA so it will support Turbo Stick and Net Gear or Ericsson Turbo hub connectivity.

Northland Consultants located on the Searchmont highway can provide advice and hardware if an external antenna is needed to ensure solid service.

Using HSPA to Provide Broadband Service

2010-12-14T14:39:00.003-05:00

I received a number of questions concerning the use of HSPA technology to provide broadband service in rural areas.In response I have put together a short paper addressing some of the issues.
The paper is available for download in .pdf format from the ADnet website.

Goulais (Buttermilk) Cell and Broadband Site

2010-11-21T16:26:00.001-05:00

The Goulais (Buttermilk) site is now physically in location on the ski hill. Viewed from the parking lot, the tower is just to the left of the chairlift. I notice the cell and broadband antennae are in place but I could not detect any microwave antennae or see an equipment shelter. (The base of the tower was out of my line of vision.)

There was no cell signal coming from the tower on Sunday, 21 Nov 10 but I am hoping it will be activated as part of the Bellevue/Heyden project, if not before.

Once activated, the cellular and broadband coverage in the Goulais area will be improved markedly.

Residents in the Goulais area may wish to contact the Tbaytel service desk at 1-800-264-9501 to register for the service or see http://www.tbaytel.net/residential/internet/connections/highspeed/regional_wireless.shtml for more details.

Bellevue and Heyden Sites Update 18 Nov 10

2010-11-18T10:32:00.001-05:00

The Bellevue and Heyden broadband (high-speed Internet) sites and the Heyden cellular site have been delayed once again. The unofficial new date is early December 2010.

In response to my queries, Tbaytel advised me on 18 Nov 10 that they are experiencing delays on the retrofit reinforcement work for the MTS Allstream owned Bellevue tower. The retrofit is necessary to allow the mounting of the microwave dishes needed to interconnect the Heyden tower into the Tbaytel backbone network proving access to the cellular mobile switching centre (MSC) and the broadband (high-speed Internet) point-of-presence (PoP).

The reinforcement project has two consecutive phases:

a. Work to meet the MTS Allstream requirements; and

b. Work to meet the Tbaytel requirements

The MTS Allstream work is scheduled for completion on 26 Nov 10 at which time the Tbaytel work will commence. Tbaytel did not provide an estimated completion date but I estimate the work may take up to two weeks.

Once the Bellevue tower is reinforced, microwave dishes will be mounted on the both the Bellevue and Heyden towers, tests conducted and the locations put into service.

Once one sees microwave dishes on the Heyden tower or receives strong cell phones signals from the tower, the work will be completed. While the work is being carried out, there may be disruptions with the cell signal from the Bellevue tower.

Tbaytel Website Layout Changes

2010-11-15T11:30:00.001-05:00

Tbaytel has changed their website layout and modified their logo and name style to Tbaytel by dropping a couple of capital letters.

The revised site also provides details about the relationship with Rogers and the provisioning of 3G HSPA service in the Tbaytel service area.

CRTC Approves Bell Deferral Account Proposal

2010-10-30T13:52:00.001-04:00

On Friday, 29 Oct 10 the CRTC issued Telecom Decision CRTC 2010-805 approving the use by Bell Canada of 3G HSAP+ cellular based technology to provide (high speed) Internet to the 112 designated unserved areas.

It now remains to be seen if the other carriers or public interest groups will launch further appeals’

The Deferral Account areas in the Algoma District are SSM-Airport (Pointes areas), Wawa, Goulais, Echo Bay and St. Joseph Island.

Rogers Responds to Bell Deferral Account Appeal

2010-10-08T13:38:00.001-04:00

On 4 Oct 10, Rogers filed a Comments paper with the CRTC on the matter of Bell’s appeal of CRTC Telecom Decision 2010-637 concerning Bell’s use of Deferral Account funds. In particular, Rogers objected to allowing Bell to use HSPA cellular technology to provide broadband (high speed) Internet to unserved areas.

To support their objective, they claimed that Bell and Rogers either separately or together are already providing HSPA service in 93 of the identified Deferral Account 112 locations. They cited the current coverage maps available on the Bell and Rogers websites as the basis for this claim.

The following is information exacted from the published documents submitted by Rogers and applies to the Deferral Account areas in the Algoma District.

Location	Rogers HSPA	Bell HSPA
Goulais	TBayTel Exp*	No
St. Joseph Island	Yes	Yes
SSM - Airport	Yes	Yes
Wawa	TBayTel Exp*
Echo Bay	Yes	Yes

*- Refers to a TBayTel/Rogers agreement to provide a Rogers compatible HSPA overlay by 4Q 2011.

In my estimation, the Rogers claim that broadband (high speed) Internet is available by means of the supposed HSPA coverage in these locations is bogus. While there is partial service in some of the areas, it can hardly be considered as coverage. The images below are extracted from the Bell, Rogers and TBayTel coverage maps.

In all cases they show there is only partial coverage in the affected Deferral Account areas in spite of the fact coverage maps published by carriers are notoriously optimistic. This quote from the Rogers site indirectly confirms this: “The map is a general representation of wireless coverage, current and future, where indicated. The areas shown are approximate. Actual coverage area may vary from map graphics. Reception may be affected by various factors, including system availability and capacity, customer's equipment, signal strength, topography and environmental conditions. Charges are based on the location of the site receiving and transmitting the signal, not the location of the subscriber.”

Another factor conveniently ignored by Rogers is that the coverage is not uniform even within the areas the maps designate as served. Trials by currently subscribers have shown that HSPA based broadband (high speed) Internet is not available within the areas even when a mast or tower mounted external Yagi antenna is used. Bell’s proposal calls for the construction of additional broadband (high speed) Internet sites (towers).

The Rogers submission only concerns the impact of Deferral Account funds on corporate finances and does not address the financial impact on users of defaulting to the in place HSPA service at the existing rates. The Bell Deferral Account proposal will provide robust service at a fraction of the cost that the existing HSPA would cost for the same amount of usage, provided it was even available.

Rogers proposes that the CRTC conduct an auction and allot the Deferral Account funds to the vendor that can prove the most efficient use of the funds to provide broadband (high speed) Internet. This proposal does have a certain amount of logic, especially if one is not currently eligible to receive any Deferral Account funds. Unfortunately, the regulatory and “red tape” that would need to be developed would likely take years to implement. It also glosses over the history of how and why the Deferral Accounts were created in the first place; it was a way to protect for alternate service providers like Rogers and others from unfair rate competition as they first entered the market place. In a manner of speaking, Rogers is proposing that it be allowed bid for a “double dip.”

Bell Coverage Goulais	Rogers Coverage SSM-Airport, Echo Bay,

Bell Coverage SSM-Airport, Echo Bay, St. Joseph Island	Rogers Coverage St. Joseph Island

Bell Coverage Wawa	Rogers Coverage Goulais

	TBayTel Goulais and Wawa

Broadband Canada Update Sep 2010

2010-09-28T09:30:00.001-04:00

The September 2010 Industry Canada newsletter entitled “IC Monthly Headlines” had the following status update for the Broadband Canada program:

“On May 9, 2010, Minister of Industry Tony Clement announced conditional funding approval for 52 projects that were either the only applications proposing service in a specific area or the clear leaders based on a combination of cost and coverage. A second round of 25 conditionally accepted projects in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec was announced between July 6 and 15, 2010. These 77 projects will bring broadband to approximately 220 000 households, and represent a federal investment of approximately $110 million. More announcements are set for later this year.” [Emphasis added]

The total budget of the Broadband Canada is set at $225 million.

Bell Appeals CRTC deferral Account Ruling

2010-09-16T22:53:00.002-04:00

As expected by most observers and forewarned in my post of 31 Aug 10, on 13 Sep 10 Bell launched an appeal of the CRTC Deferral Account Decision 2010-637 . The appeal has two main components: – it challenges the CRTC’s right to dictate which technology Bell can use to provide broadband service in the Deferral Account areas and the amount of money the CRTC identified as accrued interest on the Deferral Account funds held by the telcos.
In addition the appeal addresses the issues raised by the Commission concerning the need to match existing Bell urban broadband services; Bell calls this the Urban Service Comparability Requirement.
To meet these requirements Bell amended the original application (created a new application?) with significant increases in monthly data limits (Caps) and an usage insurance option of $5.00 per month for an additional 40 GB. This is the same feature available to current DSL subscribers. This means a consumer could get up to a 7 Mbps download with a 65 GB cap for $46.95 plus taxes and fees.
These changes address my major concerns with the original proposal. If the Bell ends up being allowed to implement this solution, I believe it will satisfy the majority of users in the Algoma District Deferral Account areas.

A COMPARISON THE ORIGINAL AND PROPOSED SPEED AND RATE STRUCTURE

	Original HSPA Broadband Service Proposal	Proposed HSPA+ Retail Broadband Services
Province	Ontario	Ontario
Service Name	N/A	Home Zone Wireless	Home Zone Wireless Plus
Monthly Rate	$31.95	$31.95	$41.95
Download Speed	Up to 2 Mbps	Up to 2Mbps	Up to 7 Mbps
Upload Speed	Up to 800 Kbps	Up to 1 Mbps	Up to 3 Mbps
Monthly Usage Allowance	2 GB	2 GB	25 GB
Monthly Charge for Additional Usage	$2.50/GB	$2.50/GB, maximum of $30 per month
Usage Insurance	N/A	$5.00 per month for extra 40 GB
Activation Fee	$35.00	$29.95
Hardware	Turbo Stick provided at no charge	Turbo Hub: $3.95 monthly rental fee
Term	Monthly	Monthly

The Bell appeal submission proposes the following timeline: - “Interested parties would have 30 days from the date of this Application (e.g., no later than 20 October 2010) to comment and the Company [Bell] would have 10 days thereafter (e.g., no later than 1 November 2010) to file its reply.”

Furthermore “ …Company requests that the Commission confirm in its forthcoming process that it will issue its decision in respect of this Application no later than 90 days from the date of Decision 2010-637, or by 29 November 2010 in order to preserve the Company's rights pursuant to petition the Governor in Council for the review, variation and rescission of the DSL Technology Directive pursuant to section 12 of the Act.”

I believe the CRTC is now on the horns of a dilemma: if they rule against Bell, then Bell will petition the Governor in Council (i.e. the Federal Cabinet); if they rule in favour of Bell, one or more of the other HSPA or vested interest parties will appeal or take legal action.

It will be interesting to watch Bell explain how it can offer this level of service for Deferral Account areas at the prices proposed compared to the prices it charges its regular HSPA data customers in other areas.

Bellevue Tower Dispute Resolved

2010-09-14T16:52:00.001-04:00

It is reported the Bellevue tower dispute identified earlier has now been resolved. TBayTel and the tower owner have reached an agreement on the work necessary to make the tower safe for additional antennas. Once all the work is done, the necessary antennas will be mounted on the Heyden and Bellevue sites which will then be activated.

It is anticipated the work could take several months and no dates for activation are available at this time.

Sault Star Article on Deferral Account Decision

2010-09-04T11:48:00.001-04:00

The Sault Star published an article about the Deferral Account decision

The item is entitled “ CRTC rulings impact North” By Marc Capancioni , Special to the Star

CRTC Approves Bell Deferral Account Funds for Broadband but Directs Bell to Use DSL Technology

2010-08-31T16:37:00.001-04:00

In Telecom Decision CRTC 2010-637 released on Tuesday, 31 Aug 10, the Commission approved the use of $306.3M of Bell Deferral Account money to provide DSL based broadband (high speed) Internet service in the selected service areas. This would appear to nullify the Bell Canada submission to provide the coverage using 3G HSPA technology.

Particulars concerning the implementation schedule and other details are not available to me at this time.

I consider today’s decision a significant move forward and a better technical solution for broadband (high speed) Internet delivery to the users in the selected Deferral Account areas.

While I welcome this decision, it is not unknown for affected parties to initiate appeals that could slow down the implementation process.

I will post additional information as it becomes available on the ADnet web site and the ADnet blog over the next few days.

The Deferral Account areas in the Algoma District are SSM-Airport (Pointes areas), Wawa, Goulais, Echo Bay and St. Joseph Island.

Wireless Broadband (high speed) Internet Comparison

2010-08-30T16:04:00.001-04:00

Wireless Type	Advantage	Disadvantage	Cost *
Satellite Small dish antenna installed on user residence.	1. Universal coverage of Canada 2. In theory easily scalable 3. Can connect to LAN	1. Latency/delay 2. Limited data Speed 3. Inconsistent data Speed 4. Impaired by weather 5. High initial user cost 6. Fair Use Policy limits	MRC: $59.99 Speed: up to 1 Mbps down Activation OTC : $99.00 Annual Licence: $75.00 Hardware: $199.00 (Can be waived)Installation Cost: Varies
Fixed Wireless Small panel or yagi antenna installed on user residence.	1. Relatively inexpensive to install 2. Consistent data speed 3. Medium range initial user cost 4. Can connect to LAN	1. Limited data speed 2. Line-of-sight to base required 3. Subject to terrain masking	MRC: $47.95 Speed: up to 4 Mbps Activation OTC: $75.00 Pop-up Tower (if needed) $300.00
HSPA Data stick or Data hub connected to computer. Can use external antenna for better speeds	1. Greatest data speed 2. Broadband and cellular capable 3. Expensive initial user cost without contract 4. Can connect to LAN	1. Line-of-sight and 5 km to cell tower 2. Expensive if basic data caps are exceeded 3. Subject to terrain masking	MRC: $35.00 – 1 GB $60.00 – 10 GB Speed: up to 7Mbps rural; 21Mbps urban Hardware: Hub: $400.00 Data stick: $175.00
			Taken from ISP websites. Packages and bundles can affect the actual prices a user pays. Does not include taxes or regulatory fees.

Is the CRTC Deferral Account Decision Near?

2010-08-27T10:16:00.001-04:00

On 27 Aug 10 the CRTC issued a Media Advisory to advise “On August 31, 2010 a media lock-up will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for the decisions related to the disposal of the funds remaining in Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, Telus and MTS Allstream's deferral accounts. “

I expect the decision will become made public shortly after 4:00 PM on Tuesday, 31 Aug 10.

I have not any seen leaks at the time of writing on what the decision will be.

As you recall, in January 2010 the Bell Companies proposed that Deferral Account funds be used to provide broadband connectivity in the designated Deferral Account areas by means of 3G HSPA wireless technology. Extensive discussions and consultations took place over the past several months leading up to Tuesday's anticipated announcement.

The Deferral Account areas in the Algoma District are SSM-Airport (Pointes areas), Wawa, Goulais, Echo Bay and St. Joseph Island.

Broadband Statistics From the CRTC

2010-07-30T14:01:00.001-04:00

The CRTC has released their annual Communications Monitoring Report 2009. The full 213 page (7.10 MB) report covers all aspects of the broadcast and telecommunications industry in Canada and may be downloaded from the CRTC site. Since most reader will be interested in the part pertaining to the Internet and broadband, I have posted a 10 page PDF extract at the ADnet website under the What’s New column.

The table below from the report is the high level summary. The statistic on average downloads and uploads near the bottom of the table are noteworthy and is far out of line with the total being touted by Bell in their Deferral Account proposal where they cite less than 2 GB per month. It also belies the argument of the proponents of 3G HSPA as the solution to broadband in rural areas as it is greater than the cap provided in the flat rate service shown before. Overage charges will run up the total bill quickly.

It also has a rate of growth in the 30% range for 2008 to 2009 which is only likely to increase at a greater rate with the introduction of new services such as Netflix. Rogers appears to have admitted as much with their recent cap adjustment although they state there is no direct relationship.

Internet and broadband availability at a glance
	2008	2009	Growth
Revenues ($ billions)	6.2	6.6	6.3%
Internet access and transport
Residential	3.9	4.3	9.9%
Business	1.1	1.1	1.2%
Wholesale	0.2	0.3	21.5%
Other	1.0	1.0	-5.5%

Residential subscribers (millions)	9.8	10.1	2.6%

Residential high-speed access revenues per subscriber per month	$34.06	$36.06	5.9%

Internet access market share (revenue)
Top 5 major ISPs (including affiliates)	76%	76%
Cable operators	48%	50%
ILECs (excluding out-of-territory)	40%	38%

Broadband availability (excluding satellite)
National	95%	95%
Urban	100%	100%
Rural	82%	84%

Penetration:
All speeds	74%	75%
High-speed	69%	72%
Broadband (1.5 Mbps and higher)	52%	62%
Broadband (5 Mbps and higher)	41%	44%

Average Gigabytes downloaded per month per user	9.1	12.0

Average Gigabytes uploaded per month per user	3.2	3.4
Source: CRTC data collection

Batchawana Outages Follow-UP

2010-07-29T14:25:00.001-04:00

TBayTel confirmed they had a short term system outage and while the cellular network came back automatically, the Internet hardware needed a hard reset that required the dispatch of a service technician from the Wawa work centre.

They had no comment on the remote reset action that users reported.

TBayTel is investigating further as why this happened at all and how to detect/respond to these types of troubles better in the future.

Internet Service Speed Categories

2010-07-27T21:56:00.001-04:00

Listed below are the speed categories used by the CRTC and Industry Canada. ADnet will comply with this convention in all documents from this point forward.

Low-speed Internet service includes speeds that are below 128 kilobits per second (128 Kbps).
High-speed Internet service includes speeds at or above 128 kilobits per second (128 Kbps).
Broadband Internet access service includes speeds that are above 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps).

CRTC Asks for Public Input on Internet and Telephone Service

2010-07-26T09:40:00.001-04:00

The CRTC issued a call for public input on Canadian telecom services on July 22, 2010. Details of the undertaking and how the public can participate are available on the CRTC website at www.obligationtoserve.publivate.ca

This consultation will last four weeks, from July 13 until August 10th, 2010.When the consultation is closed, all comments will appear on the CRTC’s website.

The CRTC is asking five base questions:

1. What services should be included as part of your basic telephone services today?

2. In the context of (universal basic wireline telephone access) , what role, if any, should the CRTC play in ensuring that all Canadians have access to broadband Internet service?

3. Do you think that cell phone service can be a substitute for traditional home phone landline service? Explain why or why not.

4. Do you think that wireless services (e.g. WiFi, 3G networks or satellite) can be substitutes for landline services to connect to the Internet? Explain why or why not.

5. For what activities do you use or expect to use your Internet service?

This is your chance to make your views known to the CRTC. You can be sure the industry based special interest groups will be.

Wireless Outages at the Batchawana Site

2010-07-23T11:58:00.001-04:00

I am receiving reports that there has been a number of outages affecting the Canopy fixed wireless broadband services off the Batchawana site. The problems seems to be associated with Canopy services only as the cellular services still operate during the broadband outages. Reports indicate that service can be restored remotely by the TBayTel help desk.

I am not sure if this is systemic problem or just some glitches during the burn-in period.

I will continue to monitor the situation and make my concerns know to TBayTel management .

Deferral Account Update

2010-07-23T11:49:00.001-04:00

The final date to submit comments to the CRTC on Bell’s Deferral Account proposals was 08 Jun 10. The CRTC issued a letter on 16 Jul 10 confirming this date and rejecting inputs received after the deadline.

From the wording of the CRTC letter it seems they are working towards a decision on the Bell proposal for the HSPA solution as opposed to the original DSL proposal. There was no indication as to the date that the decision will be rendered.

As a reminder, in the Algoma District, the Deferral Account decision affects the areas of SSM- Airport, Wawa, Goulais, Echo Bay and St. Joseph Island.

Additional information on the Deferral account may be found at http://www.adnetalgoma.ca/DA%20Summary.htm .

Engineering Dispute Delays Heyden and Bellevue Activation

2010-07-13T16:45:00.001-04:00

There is still no word as to when the Heyden cellular and broadband (high speed Internet ) or the Bellevue broadband (high speed Internet ) sites will be activated.

The delay is due to a difference in technical opinion between the tower owner and TBayTel on the impact of adding the necessary additional back haul and broadcast antennae to the Bellevue tower.

Batchawana Gets Broadband Service

2010-07-13T16:33:00.001-04:00

It has been a bit of a struggle but the first customer to get broadband (high speed Internet) service from the Batchawana site was connected this morning. The initial reports indicate the customer was happy with the installation process and the service.

Next Generation Satellite Broadband Service

2010-07-12T15:50:00.001-04:00

It is hard to visualize the day when end-to-end terrestrial broadband (high speed Internet) service such as DSL,cable, cellular wireless, fixed wireless or hybrids thereof will be a available to all users in Canada. A small percentage of users will always be served by ISPs using a satellite link as part of the network even if the final connection to the user is terrestrial.

Satellite based broadband (high speed Internet) connectivity does not have a very good reputation amongst users and this is putting it mildly. Over subscription, inconsistent data transfer rates, high latency, atmospheric and weather interference, inability to handle VPNs are just some of the technical complaints while the initial cost of set-up, one-time hardware costs and monthly recurring costs are some of the financial issues often cited.

Like cellular telephone, satellite services have gone through a number of “generations”. The new services expected to be on-line in 2011 have the potential to address many of current issues.

More information about the next generation of satellites can be found at:
http://www.viasat.com/broadband-satellite-networks/viasat-1

The video portion of the site is also available on YouTube:

3G HSPA Broadband Pricing and Capacity - Revised

2010-07-12T11:14:00.002-04:00

I am frequently asked about the 3G HSPA Broadband (high speed Internet). service currently offered along Hwy 17 from Sault Ste Marie to Sudbury and which will be offered along the Hwy 17 Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay corridor by the end of 2011.
The following collection of public links and information is provided as examples of services obtainable. ADnet neither endorses nor receives compensation from any of the vendors identified. It is considered accurate at the time of posting but is subject to change at the whim of the vendor or a CRTC ruling.
3G HSPA technology uses the cellular network as the medium to deliver Broadband (high speed Internet). It is an order of magnitude improvement over the previous 2.5G technology. The service is available as a standalone data package or bundled with other vendor offerings. It provides a nominal download speed of 7 Mbps at the cell site but degrades the farther the user is from the cell site. At about 5 km, the data rate is approximately 1 Mbps. The user receives the service via a hardware USB data stick or a wireless/Ethernet data hub. A nice feature of the data stick approach is its portability, a feature the frequent traveller will appreciate.
The main drawback with the 3G HSPA system is that it can become very expensive if care is not taken to monitor downloads to ensure the cap is not exceeded. There are a number of software programs available that monitor data usage and can be set up to warn you when certain data levels are reached.
3G HSPA Access Hardware
Bell Turbo Hub – HSPA Data Service
http://www.bell.ca/shopping/en_CA_ON.Turbo-Hub/70193.details?contractId=term24m
Bell Data stick – HSPA Data
http://www.bell.ca/shopping/en_CA_ON.Novatel-Wireless-U998/69067.details?promo=true&contractId=term24m
Bell pricing for Data plans (the voice add-on is a version of VoIP not cellular)
http://www.bell.ca/shopping/Turbo-Hub-Flex-Plan/THUB.details
Rogers Turbo Hub – HSPA Data Service
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/internet-mobile/rockethub
Tbaytel Data Hub _ HSPA Data Service
http://www.tbaytel.net/residential/mobility/promotions/internet.shtml

Data Cap	Bell		Rogers		Tbaytel
	Flex Rate	Per GB	Flex Rate	Per GB	Flex Rate	Per GB
3 GB	$45.00	$15.00	$45.00	$15.00	$35.00	$11.68
5 GB	$55.00	$11.00	$ 55.00	$11.00	$45.00	$9.00
10 GB	$70.00	$7.00	$70.00	$7.00	$60.00	$6.00
15 GB			$90.00	$4.50
20 GB					$75.00	$3.75

Bell and Rogers Data Compared based on Bell's Deferral Account Submission and Rogers Data Calculator

Sample Traffic

Bell

Rogers

50,000 E-mails

2 GB

1.2 GB

4,000 E-mails with large attachments

2 GB

1.31 GB

20,000 Web pages

2 GB

4.75 GB

Broadband Canada Announcements 09 Jul 10

2010-07-11T20:31:00.001-04:00

The Broadband Canada announcements are coming fast and furious. Another round of announcements was released on 09 Jul 10 including three in Northern Ontario but not in the Algoma District. Based on the companies named, they appear to be fixed wireless and satellite based systems.

The full list is available at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/719.nsf/eng/00050.html#july-06-2010

Company	Region
Spectrum Telecom Group Ltd. / Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation	Beaucage, Chisholm, Rutherglen, Nipissing, West Nipissing, Sundrige, Strong, Estair, Wahnapitei, Skerryvore, Shawanaga, Bell Lake, Bonfield, McDougall, McMurrich, Armour
Galaxy Broadband Communications Inc.	Cochrane District
TBay Tel / Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre Inc.	Oliver-Paipoonge, Fort William, Neebing, Township of Shuniah

Broadband Canada Update

2010-07-08T09:36:00.001-04:00

Broadband Canada published a second round of vendor selections on 06 Jul 10. All seven locations are in the province of Quebec. Details can be found at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/719.nsf/eng/00050.html#july-06-2010 . This link also contains a link to a map showing the coverage of the projects announced to date.