Residents in rural and remote parts of Ontario may soon have access to high-speed Internet delivered by satellite.
The provincial government is currently looking for potential service providers.
Depending on the response, project requests could be asked this fall.
The province says satellite service could lead to some 43 thousand homes and businesses in unserved and underserviced areas having new or improved Internet services.
"Our government has made incredible progress on filling high-speed internet service gaps across the province, but we know more needs to be done,” says Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, in a statement. "Where ground-based infrastructure is currently not an option, a qualified satellite service provider will ensure that the hardest-to-reach areas of our province will have access to reliable high-speed internet."
“Infrastructure Ontario is proud to embark on a new, first-of-its-kind procurement for satellite service in Canada," adds Michael Lindsay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Ontario. "Finding economically and technically viable market solutions for this ambitious government goal has made Ontario a leader in the field of making high-speed internet accessible to everyone."
No date for implementation is identified, but the province says using a satellite Internet service provider would help in the plan to bring connectivity to every community by the end of 2025.
Source: https://kenoraonline.com/articles/province-looks-at-satellites-to-expand-internet-access