High Speed Internet in rural Canada
BrooksNET is a product of a reality that applies to all of rural Canada: internet inequity.
Internet quality in terms of speed, reliability and overall level of service in rural Canada is low, and one in six Canadians lives in rural areas where fibre optic cable installations are prohibitively expensive.
It becomes especially disappointing when you compare the rural situation to urban areas who have far easier access to high speed internet services. This is not merely an inconvenience to rural Canadians, but a roadblock for growth. Without a robust technology infrastructure, rural communities are deprived of economic prosperity, entrepreneurial opportunities, educational outlets, and a future of possibilities.
In response, BrooksNET aims to become the best fibre internet provider in the region. We’re actively building an open-access fibre-optic network that will reach every household and business in Brooks. The backbone network is capable of delivering up to 10 Gbps internet speed, with service levels that are reliable and consistent. The ultimate goal is to offer the community the opportunity to select from a range of internet service providers who will use our network. As of now Galaxy Fibre is the only retail provider available, and has already taken strides in creating a future we all want for Brooks.
One of the most common questions we get asked is that with privately owned/operated internet services available in Brooks, why are we building a municipally owned network? Well, with a median download speed of 22.5 Mbps and upload speed of 6.59 Mbps, Brooks falls pretty far below the CRTC minimum standard of 50 Mbps for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads. And when you look at internet providers in Alberta, you can see the obvious shortfalls that make building a fibre network so important.
The Best Fibre Internet Providers in Brooks, Alberta
As with most of rural Canada, the providers in Brooks are few and far between. And from those who provide Internet packages, it is easy to uncover where they fall short.
1. Maximum Speed
The major telecommunications companies known to most Canadians don’t offer fibre in Brooks. It’s an unfortunate (but predictable) outcome as rural communities aren’t deemed unworthy of an investment, as opposed to urban metropolitan cities. They do offer cable internet, and that comes with well-known drawbacks: lower speed, high latency and unreliable service. Whether it’s fibre or cable, the maximum speed currently available in Brooks is 1000 Mbps, and that’s not even an option in most parts of Brooks.2. Symmetrical Internet Speeds
The biggest shocker when you look at Internet providers is the huge disparity between download and upload speed. As mentioned before, although internet packages can go up to 1000 Mbps, the maximum upload speed is shockingly 25 Mbps. It’s literally a fraction of download speed and will cause a mountain of problems for people whole upload data as part of their internet usage behaviour. Whether it’s video calling, content creation or gaming, 25 Mbps for a household or business is simply not feasible.3. Affordability
Users in Brooks have been known to pay over $100/month for the internet. Though this price tag is expected, the quality of service should match. When you look at your bill, it’s important to look at that price knowing that internet speed has a ceiling point, and that the maximum speed only applies to download and not uploads.The BrooksNET & Galaxy Fibre Difference: What we offer
Taking these factors into consideration, the network BrooksNET is building will provide internet on a whole different playing field. It doesn’t take much to demonstrate how a 100% pure fibre optic network is superior in all of the above mentioned points:
1. High Speed Internet
BrooksNET’s retail service provider, Galaxy Fibre, will be providing internet speed that goes as fast as 2000 Mbps, and for households that use less, packages are available at 500 Mbps and 1500 Mbps.
2. Symmetrical Speeds
If you choose any of the internet packages, the speed you are paying for is equal for both downloads and uploads. There is no bandwidth rationing or throttling and other tactics commonly used to generate profits at the expense of the service you have paid for.
3. Affordability
The most affordable package you can buy is $89/month for 500 Mbps–and that is 500 Mbps for downloads and uploads. An even better deal is for the 1500 Mbps package, which you can get for only $10 more.
4. Community Owned
When you connect your home to BrooksNET’s fibre optic network and subscribe to Galaxy Fibre services, you’re directly contributing to the economic growth of your city. The City of Brooks benefits every time a customer signs up for these services, allowing your money to stay within your community.
5. Increased Property Value
A study published by the Fibre to the Home (FTTH) Council Americas indicates that the availability of fibre internet in a home has the potential to increase its value by as much as 3.1 percent. That’s the equivalent of remodelling your bathroom! It’s an investment that has significant returns–not just an upgrade to your home internet.
Blazing fast internet in Brooks, Alberta
Truth is in the numbers, but what may also be a huge difference is how BrooksNET is really an initiative that belongs to Brooks. By being part of this project, you are getting the best internet while benefiting first hand from the return of your dollars, along with the rest of the Brooks community.
Contact us today to get started and experience all that and more.