Hay River will soon experience the North's fastest residential internet speeds as Northwestel kicks off its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) project.
Residents in single-dwelling homes in Hay River can now submit an online request for internet speeds of up to 250 Mbps, 16 times faster than previously available and with twice as much monthly usage, Northwestel said in a news release on Monday.
The company is unrolling three special procedures in the South Slave town to ensure safety during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Customers can request the FTTH installation to minimize congestion at the company's Northern call centres; Northwestel will limit the number of installations per week to give enough time for technicians to follow proper health procedures in customers' homes; and only single dwelling homes will be included in the first phase of the project because structures like apartments and businesses require more elaborate installations.
SA国际影视传媒淚 am thrilled to introduce NorthwestelSA国际影视传媒檚 new Fibre Internet service to Hay River. We appreciate the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 patience with the extra measures we have put in place to complete installation during this special time,SA国际影视传媒 said Northwestel President Curtis Shaw. SA国际影视传媒淚 want to recognize our northern employees for their tireless efforts to make Hay River the first Fibre-to-the-Home community North of 60.SA国际影视传媒
The start of the FTTH project in Hay River will bring residents the same internet speeds and rates currently available in Yellowknife, said Northwestel spokesperson Andrew Anderson.
"The infrastructure we use in Yellowknife, Hybrid-fibre-coax (HFC), is already capable of delivering these speeds to customers," he said.
The company started the FTTH project last year when it started installing the fibre network in Hay River to prepare more than 90 per cent of homes there for fibre connections.
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of reliable internet access for Northerners, and in March Dene artist Melaw NakehkSA国际影视传媒檕 launched a petition urging Northwestel to waive data overage fees and establish unlimited data plans until July.
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