High Speed Internet Project

High Speed Service Providers

Progress:

2004:
Sep: ORCnet news - Roger, AccessTNG, VOIP, City of Ottawa
Sep: AccessTNG replace Osgoode/CGYC equipment: Letter
Aug: Rogers Cable service
July: AccessTNG wireless service Tower photo
July: Anik F2 launched (Telsat Canada satellite-based service by autumn)
July: City of Ottawa paving of Marina Drive at same time as cable upgrade causes delays.
Jun: AccessTNG wireless announcement: Letter | Letter-PDF | Info & Sign-up
May 31: Rogers cable upgrade to begin (high speed projected late summer): Letter-2, Letter-1
May 4: Rogers Cable Digital TV service starts
May: AccessTNG is building a 70' (21m) tower on the golf club property to provide fixed wireless broadband.
Apr: Mark Thevarg, Rogers Cable planning coordinator says CGYC-Kars will get broadband service by the end of September, and digital TV service (Pay Per View, Video on Demand, PVR 50 hr recorders) in the spring.
2004 Feb: A letter from Baycadd Solutions (761-7175) on behalf of Rogers was delivered to homes about spring digging on streets to lay new cables.
2003:
Oct: Letter from ORCnet - High-speed Wireless Internet coverage Nov/03
Oct: Letter from AccessTNG ~ Response from a resident
Sept: AccessTNG's agent TML Wireless site testing. It appears a 68 ft (20m) relay (currently about 40 ft) is required to provide a good signal for all homes.
Sept: Northern Wireless Internet did an evaluation and suggested a community non-profit model where we own and maintain the distribution system ourselves. They would connect us to a wireless feed and distribute it via a tower. Suggested $300 modem, $50 installation, various monthly plans.
July Site testing shows most homes cannot get service. Update from AccessTNG
May Installations scheduled.
Mar. Installation planning. 15 homes committed and another 10 interested - very strong numbers of interested residents for a community this size.
Feb. AccessTNG relay tower installed at golf club. Fees announced.
Jan. AccessTNG confirmed plans to install a repeater tower to service CGYC.
Storm Internet service in North Gower is not available to CGYC because of a hill on Roger Stevens Drive between here and the tower.
2002:
Nov: High speed demo Osgoode
Initial talks with AccessTNG at the Osgoode open house about service for CGYC.
Oct News from Chris Cope, ORCnet coordinator
2002 Jul News from Chris Cope, ORCnet coordinator

AccessTNG / Arryba Communications

www.accesstng.net Tel: 1-866-262-2864   Email: info@accesstng.net
Customer support: 1-877-888-1263  Fax: 416-352-5837  
AccessTNG, 170 University Avenue W, Suite 12-152, Waterloo, ON N2L 3E9

Fixed wireless high speed Internet service "line-of-sight" from the tower (site test required). Speed is 1.5 Mbps download (read mail, Web) and 500 Kbps for upload (send mail, FTP). Unlimited connection is "always on". Up to 6 E-mail addresses. Installation fee for antenna, box, cables, labour, and setup. Monthly service and equipment rental about $50-$60. A pizza-size antenna on your wall or roof has a cable led to a small box inside your home. This is connected to an ethernet network card (about $20) in your computer or a wireless or cabled network (router and network cards for each computer sharing the service) and requires power.

The community would like to thank the Carleton Golf and Yacht Club for arranging with AccessTNG to host the relay and tower on the CGYC maintenance building, which will serve the entire community.

Rogers Cable

Wired network of fibre-optic cable (on Rideau Valley Drive) and coax cable (within CGYC) provide (simultaneous) high speed Internet and digital television services. ShopRogers.com

• Internet service is "always on"
• Requires special cable modem (rent or buy)
• 3 service speeds, bundled pricing with mobile phone and/or digital TV.

LinCsat

Satellite-based service. LinCsat dealer, Andre Lahaie, is a local CGYC resident. Call Andre at 247-8023 or andre@digital-city.ca. Contact Digital City at 727-0741 or merivale@digital-city.ca. Lincsat is a DirecWay reseller.

Prices are residential service only and may be out of date - please contact the company for fees or other services.

Two options for installation/hardware and Internet service (approximate pricing):
1. About $127/month all-inclusive - hardware and installation is $39/month on the lease plan - add Internet service at $59/month for first 3 months, $89 per month after that.
2. $400 to $1000 for residential installation plus $89/month (based on 4-year contract quoted Nov/2002).

DIRECWAY

Hughes Network Systems launches DIRECWAY the Industry’s First Satellite-based Wi-Fi Solution in 2003.

TELSAT CANADA

July 2004
A new satellite "Anik F2" was launched that will enable a new Satellite-based high speed Internet service anywhere in North America by this fall by Telesat Canada). Telesat said cost will be about $500 for the satellite dish and hardware, plus $60 a month for service - about 2 Megs down and just under 1 Meg up, comparable to DSL or high-speed cable.

Problems to watch: The new Ka band may not support VoIP and VPN solutions. Similarly, the encryption technology in VPN solutions may not make it through the unique routing arrangements of Ka band. Until solved, these issuges make it less useful for SMEs (small or medium sized enterprise).

ORCnet News

• ORCnet - Ottawa Rural Communities Network
• Nov. 2002 High speed demo Osgoode
• Oct. 2002 News from Chris Cope, ORCnet coordinator
• Jul. 2002 News from Chris Cope, ORCnet coordinator
• Jan. 2002: Following a Storm Internet information meeting in North Gower, about 160 people requested site surveys to see if they could access the service. Surveys indicated that houses in CGYC are not "line of sight" to the tower at the North Gower Client Service Centre due to the "hill" in between.

November 6, 2001: ORCnet High Speed Project
ORCnet is a group dedicated to getting broadband Internet services in the rural areas of Ottawa. Councillor Brooks, City staff, people from high tech companies, local residents, and two people from Storm Internet were at the November meeting. A pilot project in the North Gower area is just getting underway to connect about 40 locations (homes, businesses, etc.) using a transmitter/receiver on the tower behind the Client Service Centre for the City of Ottawa (former Rideau Township offices on Roger Stevens Dr., North Gower). Storm Internet Services is to get a lease from the City to install the equipment. This technology is known as fixed wireless and does not require a telephone or cable line, but requires a computer network card to connect to the external rented equipment that is then connected to the roof antenna. It's a shared 2MB two-way service. CGYC is inside the pilot coverage area and you should be able to participate unless your house has high trees blocking line of sight to the town hall tower. (There is already a tower in Kemptville but that is too far away) The cost for a home will be about $400 including antenna, computer equipment and installation. A computer with a network card is required. Service will cost about $50/month for 120 hours including rental of equipment. If a site survey by Storm Internet finds that your house is not "line of sight" from the tower, you would need to install a tower on your home to raise your antenna at additional cost. This is the least expensive wireless option currently available in our area.

• High speed Internet service in Manotick
• Ottawa ISP directory (Internet Service Providers)
• ORCnet.ca (Ottawa Rural Communities Network)
• AccessTNG
• Digital City
• Storm Internet
• Rogers High Speed

High speed Internet (broadband) service is not only about accessing Web pages faster - it is about having access to a public utility that supports transmission of Voice Over Internet (VOIP), video, music, and technologies not yet in common use. Modern businesses including people who telecommute will not locate in areas without this important service. This reduces your home's real estate value.