Bell Aliant representative, Mark Duggan, said last Monday that construction of the Fibre Optic cable pole line is scheduled to start next week, weather permitted. The 490 km line will bring enhanced broadband capability to the central and western region.
For approximately a year and a half, new and potential customers have not been able to be added to the current existing service. Bell Aliant is presently the only ISP for the area.
“Once we have the pole line in place and everything connected we will certainly be doing our best to get everybody hooked up,” Duggan stated.
“There’s certainly more than enough capacity to meet the needs of central Labrador- that is the nature of the fiber line that we are building,” he added.
While no exact date could be provided for when customers can expect the upgraded services, Duggan said it is expected to be up and running by the fall 2012.
“Once the pole line is finished and construction is complete, obviously we have to hook it into the network and do some work at either end, but the main piece of work here is the construction of the pole line, it’s a fairly significant piece of work to be done,” he said.
In December, Smart Labrador who headed the project, along with representatives from the federal and provincial governments, Nalcor Energy, and Bell Aliant met in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to announce the joint $24 million broadband enhancement project.
The Mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay was also on hand for the announcement and told the Labradorian that the announcement will be not only beneficial for residents but also to for existing and new businesses in the area.
