If digital connectivity isn’t an integral part of your life these days then you haven’t been living on earth, or at least anywhere outside of North Korea. What’s kind of ironic is the fact that those folks are kept off the information superhighway entirely for the most part, while their cousins and next door neighbours in South Korea have the best Internet on earth. The logistical challenges that come with a country as large as Canada make those types of internet networks and speeds comparatively impossible, but there’s recently been a major development at the federal level that promises to make quality internet available to more Canadian than ever before.
Here at 4GoodHosting we imagine we’re like most Canadian web hosting providers in that the recent news that the federal government is directing 1.4 billion-plus dollars to Telesat satellite internet is something we NEED to talk about. The very basis of the service we provide is dependent on the web functioning as it should, but it’s been a well known fact for years that people in urban centres enjoy much better connectivity than those in more rural areas of the country. Considering that the web is for so much more than browsing or streaming and is increasingly key to participating in life and personal advancement, that’s not right.
Telesat is a Crown-owned Canadian satellite communication company, and what is in design is their Lightspeed low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The investment is in the development of the first and second generations of satellites, plus establishing domestic employment targets and – in the bigger picture – aiming to reduce costs for regional providers who rely on Telesat products to provide internet connectivity to customers.
This has the potential to be a MAJOR development for people in quieter parts of the country who have been disappointed in the inferior internet they’ve had for more than 20 years now. Previously it was a problem without a real practical solution, but satellite internet is poised to be that solution now.
298-Strong ‘Constellation’
Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation is going to be made up of 298 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites that will be equipped to deliver gigabit speeds with impressive 30 to 50-millisecond latency, and make that available anywhere in the world. The network will run on global priority Ka-band spectrum and boast a capacity of 15 Terabits per second. That would have sounded totally unrealistic even 10 years ago, but here we and isn’t progress a wonderful thing?
In our country the Lightspeed constellation will finally deliver the connectivity the country’s most isolated areas have been looking for over a long, long time now. Internet and cellular services enabled through Telesat will begin service in about 4 years from now and connect 40,000 households in underserved communities. This is perfectly right in line with the government’s previously stated goal of providing high-speed internet to all Canadians by the end of this decade.
Jobs Too
Telesat is also going to invest $3.6 billion in capital expenditure in Canada, and this project’s development and then long-term infrastructure maintenance should provide up to 700 jobs. There is also going to be a focus placed on women in STEM programs when it comes to filling the engineering-related positions.
Partner to Starlink?
SpaceX’s Starlink probably needs no introduction as this game-changer has already been discussed in the news at great length. Starlink is already making its way into Canadian homes, although with limited availability at this point. Starlink launched its testing phase in Canada earlier in 2021, allowing eligible Canadian customers to register for satellite internet subscription. If anyone’s tried it and would care to let us know how it’s been for them, we’d love to hear it.
One big difference between Starlink and Telesat’s Lightspeed will be that Telesat will be making their powerhouse available to regional internet service providers. That is quite different from Starlink, which will sell its service directly to consumers.
It’s also received funding from provincial governments individually. Ontario to the tune of $109 million , and Quebec $200 million plus a separate $200 million investment in the company made in the company by La Belle Province.
Could it be the appetite for genuinely high-speed and reliable internet is stronger in rural Quebec than elsewhere in the country? Who knows, but this is definitely a potentially major development in making it available to all Canadians, no matter where they live.
