Wireless Outages at the Batchawana Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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