ST. PAUL, Alta. — Alberta rural Internet provider MCSnet announced yesterday its latest service, GigAir, which delivers “fiber-like speeds without the cable or cost,” according to a press release.
“GigAir creates a mesh network throughout your community so that we are able to offer fiber-like speeds through the air,” Rhonda Lafrance, MCSnet’s communications manager, explained in the release.
“This service requires a short distance between radios and an unobstructed view of the surrounding neighbourhood, which makes it ideal for towns, villages, and hamlets. GigAir is currently available in a few of our communities such as St. Paul, Glendon, and Elk Point, but the plan is to offer this service to the majority of small towns, villages and hamlets throughout our service area within the near future,” Lafrance said.
Other Alberta communities where the service is available include Ardmore, Ashmont, Mannville, Myrnam and Vilna, according to a GigAir Internet coverage map on MCSnet’s website.
“One of the technologies that allows MCSnet to offer services, such as GigAir, is our transit fiber network,” explained Heather Starosielski, MCSnet’s business development manager. “MCSnet started installing fiber optic cables between its towers in 2015 in order to increase bandwidth and operate independently of other larger broadband providers.”
Starosielski added: “MCSnet’s greatest challenge is the terrain of rural Alberta, but it is also one of our greatest successes. By building a network of over 500 fixed wireless towers, our reachability across our service area is 99.9 per cent. Just because you live in rural Alberta doesn’t mean you should have to contend with unexpected internet interruptions and limited service. We continually seek out the latest innovations to bring more reliable service to our customers.”
Furthermore, over the past year, MCSnet has partnered with local non-profits and municipalities to grow their free Wi-Fi hotspots, the press release says.
“This creates affordable and accessible internet for everyone,” Lafrance said. “We’re committed to delivering the best network experience possible, which means creating a community where there is no digital divide. We believe in providing accessible and affordable internet across rural Alberta.”
MCSnet also actively gives back to its communities, the release says.
“We invest in our local communities because we are part of them,” Lafrance said. “With every subscription, a portion is provided back to local nonprofit organizations and charities in our service area by way of free internet, donations, and sponsorships. We assist sports teams, agricultural societies, seniors clubs, rodeos, concerts and more. We also have a scholarship program that provides four student scholarships annually to grade 12 students pursuing a post-secondary education in the field of computer science or related studies.”
MCSnet was founded as a family-owned and -operated business in 1995 by Leo VanBrabant and his three sons, Jerico, Jerome and Justin. The St. Paul-based ISP’s network of towers in northeastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan now provides high-speed Internet service to more than 25,000 customers.
“MCSnet will be growing its GigAir service throughout eligible communities within our service area. We are continually upgrading our equipment, installing additional access points, replacing towers with taller ones and constructing transit fiber between our towers to increase our bandwidth capabilities,” Starosielski said.
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Image provided by MCSnet.
