Test pilots for "last mile solution".

Wireless broadband high-speed technology may someday be deemed as the "saviour" in bridging the telecommunications gap in the North.

Over the next few months, Capreol, located about 30 kilometres northeast of Sudbury, will become the site of an experimental project to determine the viability of a wireless communications link using a broadband signal transmitted through a fibre optic network.

"Individual residents would have high-speed connection into the home and as a result have the ability to develop applications that up to now have only, been possible, by those who have access to a fibre optic network," says Paul Tosolini, executive director for Broadband Wireless Multimedia (BWM) Group and TECNorth.

A few years ago, the Town of Capreol laid the groundwork to make this type of project possible by establishing a fibre optic network, which runs by the curbside, in the town, he explains. The "last mile solution" will connect homes to the fibre optic network via a broadband signal transmitted from a hub antenna (the Sudhury Hydro fibre optic network) to an antenna located in the home.

BWM Group and TECNorth, and Contact North/Contact Nord, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and local post-secondary institutions developed the project as an initiative aimed at exploring communications' options in the unique geographic' and climatic environment of the North, he adds.

"The telecommunications landscape in Northern Ontario is poor compared to other regions of Ontario," Tosolini says. "In Ontario, a lot of the small remote communities don't have access to wireless communications because of their locale. This could be a saviour for them."

This technology will enable a business in a small northern. community to compete withurban counterparts and potentially improve northern economy, he says. Partners involved in the project are convinced the wireless communications link will lead to increased employment opportunities in small communities by enabling businesses in these areas to compete with their urban counterparts, he notes.

By making broadband speed available to the "mass population," rather than merely concentrating on institutions and businesses, one is providing windows of opportunity for individuals to develop, expand and market ideas globally.

"This new tool has the capacity to help attract or retain youth in the North because it provides high speed access directly into the home,' Tosolini said. "Applications. that necessitate high-speed connectivity can be produced out of the home. It'll also be more cost-effective for a large number of people to participate in the new economy."

A similar type of project is being instituted in rhunder Bay, utilizing a satellite as a hub antenna. Thunder Bay lacks the fibre optic backbone required for broadband width; therefore, the link to high-speed connectivity will be' through. Telesat Canada, a federal government satellite service. Telesat Canada is a partner in the BWM project.

"This is a unique angle to research because we will be looking at satellite communications, which is not rare, but the technologies were using for this project are unique and innovative," Tosolini says. "Thunder Bay was never part of the project. but as we moved forward with Capreol, We realized there may be a way to bring the technology to Thunder Bay."

The intent is to be able to transplant the technology in other areas of the North, once ii has been proven cost-effective and reliable through the Capreol and Thunder Bay projects, he says.

"A small community of 100 people is not going to be able to convince a phone company to come in and install a fibre optic network; it would just be too costly." Tosolini says. "This technology could be the telecommunications solution they need."

Although there are still engineering and architectural issues that need to be addressed, the Thunder Bay project is slated to begin by June this year.

Those participating in the project, about 50 residents and public and private-sector participants, will be required to provide feedback on an ongoing basis to help determine the quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness of the signal. Individuals selected for the trial perio, running spring through summer, will have a small 18-inch antenna installed. on the roof of their home for receiving the broadband signal.

By September, pending the results of a complete analysis of the project, wireless high-speed communications is expected to be made available to all residents in the community, he adds.

"Capreol will be in a very enviable, unique situation, a model for demonstration in Canada," Tosolini said. "There aren't many communities in Canada that have this system. In fact, I'm not aware of any other community with this system"

The project received a funding contribution of $1 million from the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology's Telecommunication Access Partnership Program (TAPP) and a combined contribution of $1.2 million from project partners.