VANCOUVER – The people living on Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, will have high speed Internet service from Telus later this year thanks to a recent agreement between the western telco and the Gwaii Trust Society.
Telus is investing $1.3 million to build a series of high-capacity mountain-top data transmitters to Mount Hayes near Prince Rupert. High speed Internet service will then beam 115 kilometres over water to a station at Masset, on the Islands. Service will flow from the station to other points on the Islands via fibre optic cables.
Until this build, Masset Haida TV, an independent cable company based in Masset (a town of less than 1,000), has provided broadband Internet service to customers in the isolated region for a few years.
Construction is already well under way on the Telus project, which is a collaboration with the Gwaii Trust Society and part of Telus’ $110 million partnership with the B.C. government to connect 119 rural and remote B.C. communities to high speed Internet, says the press release.
"Not even possible a few years ago, this technical marvel will bring residents of the Queen Charlotte Islands new opportunities for improved health care, education and economic development," said Shaun Greffard, Telus northern interior general manager.
The company is partnering with Alcatel on the system’s design and construction, drawing on that firm’s technical expertise for assistance with the unique configuration of the radio link. The GwaiiTel Society, in co-operation with Telus and Alcatel, will develop the Haida Gwaii Community Network to connect the Island communities. GwaiiTel will operate the network on behalf of the communities of Haida Gwaii and will bring ‘last mile’ Internet service to the Islands’ residents by working with a number of locally-based Internet service providers, says the release.
GwaiiTel will make high speed Internet service available to about 5,000 residents of the Islands’ seven largest communities, including Masset, Old Massett, Port Clements, Tlell, Skidegate, Queen Charlotte and Sandspit. The partners anticipate the first residential and business customers will receive high speed service late in 2006.
