Wireless Network Progress Report

Updated July 6, 2010

On June 26, Seaside completed construction, outfitting, and equipment testing of our main tower network.

This completes an unprecedented system of nearly 200 towers, stretching from Meat Cove in Northern Cape Breton to New Salem in Western Cumberland County. It enables us to cover the entire nine counties of Northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.

Our focus now shifts to the small number of customers we cannot reach due to local obstacles - trees, buildings, or small hills in the way - or because of signal conflicts with other wireless providers.

These situations can only be accomplished on a case-by-case basis, with a custom-made solution for each unserved address. We appreciate the frustration of those still waiting for service, and we ask you to bear with us as we work hard to cover absolutely everyone who wants high speed Internet service.

Updated June 11, 2010

Seaside is preparing to install the last of nearly 200 towers that power its wireless Internet service in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. We're installing radios and antennas on the last few towers, and awaiting Nova Scotia Power hookups on about 16.  Our entire tower network will be operating by June 30.

This will enable us to reach almost all unserved addresses in Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond, Victoria, and Cape Breton counties directly from our main tower network.

A few hundred customers will require additional work before we can serve them. These fall into two categories:

Signal holes: Even though our main tower network now provides coverage throughout our service area, certain very local features may prevent our signal from reaching a particular home or business. This could be a tree, a building, or a small hill that blocks the signal, or a nearby metal roof that causes signals to reflect and interfere with one another.

The solution may involve a taller antenna mount, or the installation of a wooden utility pole to relay the signal to your location.

Signal interference:  Where another wireless Internet provider operates in or near the territory assigned to us, it can be hard to avoid signal interference that knocks both companies' customers off line. Signal interference is most common in Cumberland, Colchester, and Pictou counties.

In the fall of 2009, the Nova Scotia Government hired Motorola Canada, which supplies our equipment, to produce a report on signal interference among wireless Internet providers. The Motorola Report set forth the steps required for all providers to co-exist, including the use of standard directional antennas, approved power levels, and synchronized signals.

Seaside has been in full compliance with these recommended procedures throughout our network expansion. We have offered nearby operators signal synchronization data and other technical help. In areas where the airwaves are simply too crowded, or where a provider is using non-standard equipment, our engineers are devising other solutions, which may require the installation of new equipment.

When will I get service?

Once we have completed our main tower network by June 30, our engineering staff will begin implementing customized solutions for each of our hard-to-reach customers. This may require customized engineering designs, site visits, and equipment installations.

The nature of this work makes it impossible to provide a precise schedule, except to say that our revised agreement with the province requires us to complete all requested installations by December 31. We certainly hope and expect that the great majority of our remaining unserved customers will be hooked up long before then, joining the thousands who already enjoy Seaside's rural high speed Internet service.

How can I speed things up?

Please make sure we know you are waiting for service. Even if you have spoken to us before, please call 1-888-965-5511 before July 16 with your civic address to make certain we have all the information we need about your service request.

Frustration

Seaside has served rural Nova Scotia with wireless Internet for more than five years. We know the difference high speed access makes in people's lives and businesses. We understand the frustration and annoyance felt by those of you still coping with snail-speed dial-up - especially when you see nearby neighbours zipping along at modern speeds.

Please bear with us. Our engineering and construction crews are working flat out to get you service. We pledge to keep working flat out until the work is done, and we promise honest answers about when we can serve you.