Ignace residents are closer to a substantial boost in internet speed.
A provider of fibre-internet service said people in Ignace will be able to take advantage faster internet connections by the summer if there are no more unexpected delays.
Tom Motyka, the CEO of Celerity Telecom, a Manitoba-based company bringing the service to the township, said they are able to do so with federal and provincial programs designed to bring fibre-internet to underserved rural communities.
“We’re bringing world class technology, probably the best connection you can get in today’s market,” he said. “Services that are only currently available in major metro areas, we’re bringing to Ignace.”
Motyka said Celerity has been serving Northwestern Ontario in communities like Pickle Lake and the Van Horne area near Dryden since 2016.
“We are in a niche market, where we’ll go where other providers are gun-shy to go because of additional costs,” he said.
Motyka said customers can expect symmetrical services up to one gigabit, which is more than enough these days to provide bandwidth to any home. He added the beauty of fibre means future proofing with just a simple change out of equipment if more bandwidth is needed.
“The fibre itself doesn’t change. It will be good for probably my lifetime anyway.”
Motyka said they had originally hoped to have the work completed by the end of last month, however factors such as delays with the funding process and a late start to the spring this year threw off the schedule.
“We were working in that area as much as we could, to directional drill and putting in the conduit in preparation for blowing the fibre and the final install to the home,” he said.
But the delays mean some work needs to be put off until the spring, Motyka said, because the installation work can’t take place in the winter because of the freezing weather.
“With the delays, we weren’t able to put in all the vaults that would then be flat with the ground and the conduits [that] would terminate in the vaults.”
This resulted in some cabling sticking out of the ground, which caused some chatter within the community on social media that Motyka said he responded to with a Facebook post in late October.
“I felt as Celerity, who is running the whole project essentially on the ground, that I should just let them know what’s going on and what the delays were. I try to be as transparent as possible, because the last thing I want is rumours to get out of [hand],” he said.
Motyka said the concern that exposed cabling could be a tripping hazard was “certainly a very valid concern that we took to heart and right away after the posting was done, once our contractor was done, we sent our crews in to put in pylons and mark every single one of those conduits to make sure they were visible to the public.”
He said the majority of infrastructure is underground where it is safe and none of the material left sticking above ground is critical.
“It’s not like if that gets cut off, we’re dealing with disastrous effects. We’ll be able to fix anything that’s been damaged by snowplow or the odd car. Driving over it and crushing the conduit, it’s not a huge concern,” he said.
“It’s going to be a bit of an eyesore until spring,” he said. “but I think the end result well worth it for the community.”
Motyka said he has found council and staff at the township to be very supportive of the project allowing them to store some materials in one of the township yards.
“They certainly want to see it succeed.”
He said the company is planning on finishing the work starting next April, however it will be the weather that determines when everything will be completed.
“We are at the mercy of the weather and if we get lucky, we can start working in April,” he said. “Last year was definitely an anomaly. In April there was still two or three feet of snow. We really didn’t get to work until June.”
Motyka said the company won’t start advertising in Ignace until a few weeks before they are ready to hook up the first customer.
“We’ve learned through doing other projects, even fixed wireless, where you advertise something that’s coming, people are waiting for it, they sometimes pre-sign up and then they’re upset because it isn’t delivered the day that you told them initially.”
Motyka said if everything works out, he’s hoping the service could be available for 150 to 170 residents in first phase starting in May, with a completion of the work by mid-summer.
“We’re 100 per cent committed to getting this project done, no matter what.”
