WOODSTOCK, N.B. – With the successful completion of its 4G satellite ground station near St. John’s, Newfoundland, wireless broadband provider Xplornet Communications says the province is poised to bridge the urban/rural broadband divide in Canada.
The company says the multi-million dollar investment in ground station technology (pictured below) will provide a high speed link to the Internet for a next generation, or 4G, high throughput satellite that will supply broadband for rural Canadians across the country. Satellite is the key to unlocking access to real broadband for rural Canadians, contends the company. Ground stations like the one in St. John’s provide the terrestrial link for the high-capacity signal the satellites will receive and transmit.
"We have invested in Newfoundland & Labrador because it offered us robust infrastructure to connect our ground station to the Internet, and its location worked with our national network design. This ground station is an integral part of our national 4G network, allowing us to create a better broadband experience for rural Canadians," says Gerry O’Reilly, Xplornet’s CFO.
Xplornet’s first 4G satellite will be launched in September of this year, and the service will be commercially available before year’s end. A second 4G satellite is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2012. "This ground station – and the network it will support – will be a game-changer for broadband in rural Canada. As a Newfoundlander myself, I’m proud to make Newfoundland and Labrador an important part of our technical and investment plans" adds O’Reilly.
