First Revelstoke fibre optic internet connections switched on

Telus switched on high speed fibre optic service to the first neighbourhood in Revelstoke on July 14. Residences in an area west of Connaught Avenue were the first to have access to the new fibre network, and Telus officials say they’re now targeting October 10 as the final day to connect all Revelstoke neighbourhoods.

Telus officials joined the Revelstoke mayor Mark McKee for a ribbon and cake ceremony on July 14 outside the Telus Mobility dealership.

Mayor McKee said the “service enhancement has been a long sought after initiative of council, and we are pleased to see it arrive at the implementation stage.”

McKee, who is the former owner of the Revelstoke Mobility Telus dealership, joined his daughter and current owner Shannon van Goor for the announcement.

Van Goor encouraged residents to come down to the Revelstoke Mobility shop to get hooked up to the service. As neighbourhoods become connected, individual residences will need to actually get signed up and hooked up to the service.

“We want people to come down here and get signed up through their local dealer,” van Goor said.

Telus spokesperson Clare Adams said crews continue work to meet an October 10 target to have all neighbourhoods. A dedicated Telus website provides updates on the rollout of the service; it can be accessed via this link.

Adams acknowledged a controversy over residences south of the Big Eddy on Highway 23. When Telus originally unveiled their network earlier this year, their service map showed that those homes would be hooked up to the new fibre network. However, the map has since changed and Telus is now saying those residences will not receive fibre as part of this installation.

Adams said it was an error on Telus’s part. “We made a mistake. It shouldn’t have been on the [original] map,” she said, adding that neighbourhood is not included in the current build. “We’re not saying never, we’re just saying it’s not something that’s in the budget right now.”