There are other projects in various states of evolution in Alberta. Big Lakes County is undertaking a fibre-to-the-home initiative called Project Aurora53. Service download speeds are projected to be between 100 Mbps and 10 Gbps.
The Town of Vermilion is undertaking a project called V-Net, which uses a combination of fibre (fibre-to-the-node) and Wi-Fi for last mile distribution. The town hopes to complete a six-month pilot program with 10 businesses in 2021 and, with positive results, will consider expanding the service to the residents of the town54.
More small, quick-win solutions are also starting to emerge in the province. The Town of Viking is using its grain elevator to offer a point-to-multipoint wireless internet service. Anyone who is able to establish a clear line of sight path to the elevator is able to access internet services. A three-year contract covers the cost of the internet, plus the customer radio equipment55.
These numerous municipal and county services that are currently operating, or under construction, are likely to be joined by more projects over the next few years. The significant grant funding dollars available for rural internet projects by various government agencies are providing more opportunities for rural and remote parts of Alberta that are still underserved. These opportunities are further discussed in the Future Needs and Opportunities section.
References
53Big Lakes County. Communications | Big Lakes County. Accessed 22 February 2021.
54Angela Mouly. Vermilion ventures to test broadband internet in pilot project - Lakeland Connect. 20 July 2020. Accessed 25 February 2021.
55Nutec Electro Tel sales agent: phone conversation 26 February 2021.