Internet companies on both sides of the Lloydminster border say residents should expect much faster internet soon.
In a conference Wednesday evening, both Sasktel and Telus announced they would investing money to bring the community’s internet speeds way up, and to make connections more symmetrical between upload and download speeds.
In total, Telus will be investing $30 Million to bring in their PureFibre service on the Alberta side, while Sasktel will be putting in $6 million to upgrade the Saskatchewan side. The City will not have to invest any money into the project, the companies will cover the full cost.
Both companies say this will be a major benefit especially as many residents need speeds to do business, go to work, learn at home and engage in recreation like gaming, for instance. By the end of the project, both companies plan to have full coverage for any resident or business that wants it.
Mayor Gerald Aalbers says this is the culmination of a lot of work between the City and the two companies, but this will take internet possibilities to a whole new level.
“There’s going to be a huge uptake for business opportunities, [for] people who have been challenged by the COVID in particular, [or] just simply by internet they had, they’ll now have that world-class service right here in Lloydminster, and I think that’s critical to new businesses and existing businesses that we have.”
Sasktel says trucks will begin rolling for construction right away, and they anticipate that in early 2022, the first customers in the Border City will be hooked up to fibre optic, with the majority being hooked by the end of the year, taking a bit of time to get installation booked.
Telus is also working along similar timelines, with crews headed out immediately and residents and business can also expect to start seeing access to fibre optic by the end of this year.
The project is going to see two types of construction for the most part. One facet will be overhead wires, which requires minimal disruption to property, while other areas may require some small boring into the ground to drill in equipment.
Sasktel Assitant VP of Fibre to the Premises Brian Eltom says in the event workers do need to move ground, they’ll be working with home and business owners in the area.
“Our goal when we’re done is that we will restore your yard to the same condition it was when we entered it. We take pictures of your yard before and after to make sure that everything lines up, and like I said, we’ve got our quality inspectors working with our contractors to make sure that everything’s being cleaned up and returned to the original state that we found it.”
Telus VP of Community & Channels and Home Solutions Andy Balser also added that the short term construction could have long term positive effects on peoples homes, aside from having better internet for themselves.
“We’ve seen several studies that [say] that having your home connected to Fibre improves its desirability, whether you go to sell, whether you go to rent that home. Especially now, customers and families are looking for homes that care connected to Fibre.”
Once the infrastructure is installed, a disruption of service would only be a few minutes as a technician sets up the new connection in a client’s home or business, Eltom adds.
Residents should expect a mailer to come out letting them know about the new developments soon, and how they can jump on Fibre Optic as well.