Fiber Construction Coming to a Community Near You

Fiber Construction Kicks into High Gear

With the warmer weather our fiber construction will begin picking up steam. These fiber builds support our vision statement, “High Speed Internet Service Everywhere”. At MCSnet everything we do is in pursuit of this vision and rural communities are vital to our company.

Transit fiber is the means by which this vision will be realized. By connecting our towers with fiber optic cable, we can speed up the network and increase bandwidth to be enjoyed by everyone connected to that tower. A fiber connected tower is also able to support our exciting new service GigAir to its nearby community. By building transit fiber we are able to increase the number of people who have access to this exciting new technology. Transit fiber allows us to “up our game” providing high-speed internet to our rural customers. See this blog for the the benefits of Transit Fiber.

MCSnet is continuing our transit fiber construction in many municipalities, including the County of Barrhead, Athabasca County, County of St. Paul, MD of Bonnyville, County of Lac la Biche, County of Minburn, County of Vermilion River, Strathcona County, County of Two Hills, MD of Wainwright, Westlock County, Lamont County, and Beaver County.

MCSnet has also been hard at work with our existing customers by providing free upgrades to our GigAir services where applicable. Our focus isn’t just on expansion but on maintaining a strong network. These upgrades will help facilitate the continued growth of GigAir and help us provide cutting-edge service to more customers.

The Importance of Community Agencies

Volunteers and community agencies are the backbone to municipalities. The services they provide are essential to the success of any rural community. MCSnet is pleased to assist these not-for-profit organizations with support from our Community Connections program.   

As GigAir is launched in a community we explore community agencies to act as anchor points for the network. They are often located in strategic locations throughout a town and provide a way for the GigAir network to be established quickly and efficiently. 

GigAir becomes more robust with every additional customer. If a home should experience connection issues, the network adjusts itself to a new location to keep the signal strong. 

As a thank you to these partners, MCSnet provides free Wi-Fi Hotspots in spaces where the community gathers. One example of this is our upcoming Free Public Wi-Fi Hotspot at the Centennial Center in Bonnyville. This will provide a strong anchor for the network, free internet coverage to the public, and launch the service futher into the surrounding community. Be it a local government facility or a not-for-profit, MCSnet is always looking for opportunities to strengthen our service in the communities we serve. 

Supporting the Next Generation

Once again, information regarding the MCSnet High School Scholarship Program has been sent out to the 23 school districts within our service area. Four students will be selected to receive $1,000 each towards an education in a technology-related field. Our winners will be selected based on the criteria of academic marks and community involvement. 

Last year we received several outstanding applications. Once again we congratulate the 2022 recipients: Daniel Kam of St. Paul, Kori Kozicki of Elk Point, Natalya Yuschyshyn of Westlock, and Sabrina Pricope of Bonnyville. The 2023 deadline is August 31, 2023. We wish all our 2023 applicants the very best of luck.

Kevin Bernhardt

Business Development Manager

Kevin is the Business Development Manager for MCSnet and comes with a wide variety of life experiences. Through his education in Radio Broadcasting and Marketing he found himself managing 97.7 The Spur, St. Paul’s local radio station. It was there he developed his passion for rural Alberta and is excited to be promoting broadband across the countryside.