Update with details: Telus announces fibre optic Internet network for Revelstoke

Note: This story has been update with new details at the bottom.

In a Mar. 5 joint media release from the City of Revelstoke and Telus, phone, Internet and telecommunications provider Telus announced they are connecting “90 per cent of homes and businesses in Revelstoke” to fibre optic Internet.

“This upgrade – which comes at no cost to the municipality or its residents – will bring the most advanced communications infrastructure in the world to Revelstoke, and make available Internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second,” stated the media release posted to the City of Revelstoke website.

“Revelstoke is thrilled to be selected for this project and we’re especially happy that it’s coming at no cost to the municipality or its citizens” said mayor Mark McKee in a statement. “We recognize that fast internet connection speeds make a community more attractive, and that we have to stay competitive in this area to attract visitors, residents and businesses to our community. We’re grateful to TELUS for their investment in our community and helping us to achieve our goals.”

Telus general manager Bert Braybrook said the “multi-million dollar investment” here will provide “incredible Internet speeds” and provide “the fastest Internet infrastructure available in the world today.”

He said that Telus representatives would be in Revelstoke soon to talk with businesses and residents about connecting to the network.

Telus said a dedicated website for the infrastructure upgrade in Revelstoke would be launched soon.

The details:

The Revelstoke Mountaineer spoke with Liz Sauvé, Telus media relations spokesperson. Here are more details:

How fast will the service be?
It is up to 100 Mbps, depending on which service package you sign up for. “It’s the fastest internet speeds we offer,” Sauvé said. “It’s limitless capacity now and into the future.”

When?
Telus staff will be knocking on doors and speaking with homeowners in the next few weeks to arrange for hook-ups to individual residences. Telus has divided the community into 11 zones and they’ll be connecting one zone at a time. The first zone will be completed and switched on by about June, and the last one in the spring of 2016.

What’s the cost for a hookup?
Sauvé said there is no cost for any hookup, and you don’t need to sign up to the service to be hooked up. In other words, she said even someone who has no intention of signing up for any Telus service can get the hookup for free. “They feel the build adds value to their property,” she said.

Where are the fibre cables going?
Sauvé said it would be a mix of above ground and below ground. She said no major city roads will be ripped up. Telus will work with the property owner on the hookup type to the house or business. She said there may be a few areas where they will need to bury the cables.

How much infrastructure is being put in?
Sauvé said the Telus investment is “in the tens of millions of dollars.”

What is the cost to taxpayers?
Sauvé said there is none.

How much will it cost?
The rates will be same for Telus service across B.C. The service is up to 100 Mbps, but there are less expensive packages. Here is a link to a Telus pricing page.

Will it be faster in some areas like the current system?
Sauvé explained the current system is based on copper wires, so the signals lose strength the further you are from the main hub. She said the fibre optic network doesn’t suffer from this issue.

What about the backbone? Aren’t we limited by our Internet connection to the outside world?
It gets technical quickly, but a Telus spokesperson explained the entire system is being overhauled including the ‘backbone’ of the system, and that it won’t be bottlenecked at the distribution hub.

Why “90 per cent” of residences? Why not 100 per cent?
Sauvé said this is because some residents refuse the service. “Not everyone in a community is going to say yes. 90 is the penetration rate that we expect,” she said.

What about residences outside of city limits? Like in CSRD Area B?
Sauvé said that all of the City of Revelstoke will be connected, and some of CSRD Area B, likely areas of the regional district that are closer to city limits. Telus will reveal these details on a dedicated website when it goes live, likely next week.

Where can I find out more?
Sauvé said Telus will launch a dedicated website for Revelstoke soon at http://www.telus.com/revelstoke, but that site is not yet live. They will have things like neighbourhood maps showing installation times.

How fast is this?
A Telus spokesperson explained the new fibre-optic system started rolling out in B.C., Alberta and Quebec in 2013, and so far there are 38 communities with the service in those three provinces. For a change, they said they’d targeted smaller communities first. They said the new system would bring Revelstoke to a high service level that only about four per cent of residents in North America currently have.

Why does Revelstoke need this?
“For an area like Revelstoke I know I have heard … our network gets sufficiently exhausted,” she said. “The demand for Internet services is doubling every 18 months.”

Did the Revelstoke Mountaineer miss some questions? Please comment below and we will put the questions to Liz Suave and Telus and then update this story.

Note: Some of the information in this story has been updated to provide more detail.