CHURCHILL, Man. – Canada’s polar bear capital now has high speed Internet access, courtesy Manitoba Telecom Services.
The port town of 1,000 people, which is an eco-tourism favourite thanks to the closeness of the polar bear population, is way off the beaten path, has no roads into it and is accessible by sea, rail or air (it’s about 1,000 kms by air)
MTS CEO Bill Fraser joined Churchill Mayor Michael Spence at a community event in the town to celebrate the announcement late last week.
“MTS recognizes the contribution Churchill makes to the economic well-being of our province as an ocean port and for its unique eco-tourism business,” said Fraser in a release. “The benefits of having access to our high speed Internet are endless, and we are proud to make the investment required to provide the connectivity that will serve as a catalyst for information sharing, education and economic development.”
With MTS High Speed Internet, large files can be downloaded in minutes instead of hours, and the technology also allows the customer to send and receive voice and data over the same phone line, at the same time. MTS currently has well over 100,000 high speed Internet customers in 156 communities across the province benefiting from everything the service has to offer, including the ability to access the Internet and e-mail with lightning speed, e-mail virus protection, spam filtering and home networking capabilities.
“As a result, we are now one of the most broadband-enabled provinces in the country,” said Fraser.
“It’s incredible how important Internet service is for our community,” said Mayor Spence. “Being without high speed Internet really hit home that Internet technology has become completely integrated into our daily lives, and living without it has been extremely difficult. We are so pleased that the partnership between MTS, Manitoba Hydro and The Town of Churchill has resulted in the introduction of MTS’s high speed service. We will once again be able to connect to the outside world and continue to utilize technology to advance our quality of life and strengthen our economy on both a national and international level.”
MTS is now taking orders for the service in Churchill and will officially launch the service next month
