Newsroom: News Articles
- October 3, 2007 Radium Hot Springs, BC:
NanoFibre Networks has begun construction of it's fibre optic network in Radium Hot Springs
- March 2, 2007:
Radium Hot Springs wireless network to launch March 15th.
- February 19, 2007:
The Resort at Copper Point confirmed today
- February 9, 2007:
Pedley Heights joins the NanoFibre network
- January 26, 2007
- NanoFibre delivers advanced FTTH services to the Village of Radium Hot Springs
- November 17, 2006:
Windermere Valley Network Back on Track
October 3, 2007 - NanoFibre Networks has begun construction of it's fibre optic network in Radium Hot Springs
NanoFibre Networks has begun construction of it's fibre optic network in Radium Hot Springs. Residents can see trucks on the street now, installing the fibre optic cable throughout the community which will provide the next generation of services. The network was announced early this year and got off to a quick start with many residents signing up to bring the fibre optic network into their homes. In March, NanoFibre put up wireless towers and began providing free service to residents and visitors in the downtown area. Then the application process to utilize the existing underground conduit and telephone poles began which took much longer than expected. "It has been a long seven months of waiting for approvals and working with Telus to reduce the impact to the community" said Mark Halwa, Managing Partner of NanoFibre, "but we have minimized the disruption of digging up roads for most of the area and that is a benefit to the community and our network".
Throughout the approval process, full time and out of province residents have continued to sign up and approximately 35% of Radium is now on board. NanoFibre's network will offer television including high definition programming, telephone service, VERY high speed stable internet and a variety of additional services such as data backup, security monitoring and movies on demand. "We won't have all the services available right away" said Halwa, "the technical integration of the Service Providers must be done right to ensure good service".
The network is an open access network which means multiple Service Providers will compete to win the business of Radium residents and businesses, so if you don't like the offering of one provider you just switch to another and no one has to come out and visit your home. More choices, better prices and faster service will be provided by the open access network. As owner of the network, NanoFibre will not compete with Service Providers and offer their own services, which will ensure healthy competition. "We simply want to bring the next generation of services to the Valley and an open competitive market will serve residents best. The existing telephone wires and coaxial cable were sufficient in the past, but the demands of high definition TV, tele-medicine and security monitoring all require large amounts of bandwidth which fibre optic networks excel at delivering".
Residents who sign up will have the fibre optic cable brought into their home and NanoFibre will provide one connection (TV's, computers, security cameras, etc.) at no charge. Additional connections and custom wiring will be at the homeowners expense but NanoFibre has devices which can distribute the fibre optic signal using existing electrical wiring and coax cable.
The first connection will go to the Village office and then branch out to residents located from Forsters Landing to Blakley Place and Sun Valley Place to Revelstoke Avenue. "That is where the highest concentration of requests have come from", said Halwa "and after that we will proceed to Main Street and perform installations heading south to Edelweiss. With winter coming, we won't get everyone requesting service installed before it freezes, but if they sign up now, we will complete their installation next spring".
NanoFibre will install it's fibre optic network throughout Radium Hot Springs, Copper Point Resort and Pedley Heights.
March 2, 2007 - Radium Hot Springs wireless network to launch March 15th.
Radium Hot Springs is now just days away from the launch of its open
wireless network. Beginning March 15th, selected areas of downtown Radium
will have wireless service. This service will be complimentary and will remain
free of charge to residents, businesses and visitors of Radium via the
NanoFibre network.
NanoFibre is a member of the regional Columbia Mountain Open Network
(CMON), which is expanding throughout many communities in the east and
west Kootenay regions. The goal is to provide an open access network,
delivered using a fibre to the home service (FTTH), for residents, visitors and
businesses in the community of Radium Hot Springs and future service areas.
It will replace the existing infrastructure with technology designed to deliver
whatever tomorrow’s “must have” applications are.
“The benefits to Radium are substantial,” explained Mark Halwa, Managing
Partner of NanoFibre, “beyond the obvious benefit of faster, more reliable
service, we will now have a truly community-based network, right here in
Radium. Once the fibre optic cable begins to roll out in May and June, the
Radium network will provide residents with current local information, as well
as allow access to all of the services available on the entire CMON network.
Fibre optic networks provide the most secure and fastest method of
transferring data. Whether the data coming into your home is your favorite
TV show, a brand new high-definition movie, a videoconference with your
doctor, distance education, or e-mailed pictures from your family—a fibre
optic network is the most reliable.
“Part of building a successful network for any community is allowing basic
access to all citizens and visitors of the community,” said Halwa. “We’re
building an infrastructure for the future and, in the process, facilitating
commerce and enabling entirely new ways of doing business here in the
Columbia Valley.”
In order to encourage visitors to stop in Radium, NanoFibre is offering the
free service downtown. Beginning in May, NanoFibre will begin installing full
fibre optic connections throughout Radium.
Radium residents can now sign up to be first in line for a full fibre optic
connection and be “wired for light”. Visit the newly-launched NanoFibre
website at www.nanofibre.ca, or call (250) 342-7317 for more information.
February 19, 2007 - Copper Point Confirmed
The Resort at Copper Point confirmed today it has signed an agreement to join the NanoFibre network based in Radium Hot Springs, BC. "Our resort would not be complete without all the high tech amenities discerning travelers expect. From videoconferencing to high speed connections, our owners and guests will be able to stay connected to every aspect of their world, when they come to enjoy our luxury resort", said Ron Mason, Copper Point's Managing Partner. "We are excited to provide them access to the Columbia Mountain Open Network and all its services using the fibre optic network provided by NanoFibre".
The Resort at Copper Point is the newest 36-hole golf resort in the Columbia Valley and is scheduled to open in summer 2008.
February 9, 2007 - Pedley Heights joins the NanoFibre Network
Pedley Heights is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement to join NanoFibre networks of Radium, BC. “Many people who have visited our development want to spend more time in the Valley and be able to connect to their offices using video-conferencing. They want to monitor their vacation homes using web based cameras and watch HDTV broadcasts. And some of them would consider moving here if they had the ability to connect to a fibre optic network. Our development will now have all that and more” said Mark Voszler, Pedley Height’s Principal. “We are pleased to join the network provided by NanoFibre and CMON”.
January 26, 2007 - NanoFibre delivers advanced FTTH services to the Village of Radium Hot Springs with automated broadband solution from PacketFront
Nashua, NH — PacketFront, the pioneer in open-access broadband networking, has announced that Canadian based NanoFibre has chosen PacketFront’s unique BECS™ control and provisioning system for the deployment of advanced IP services throughout the Village of Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia, Canada.
Working closely with the Columbia Mountain Open Network (CMON) on the regional Columbia Basin Open Access network, NanoFibre is offering fibre to the home (FTTH) to the rapidly growing community of Radium Hot Springs.
The NanoFibre FTTH network will provide next generation bandwidth speeds and services at urban prices far superior to those provided by telephone or cable networks.
“The PacketFront technology provides us with sophisticated new tools to serve our rapidly growing community,” said Mark Halwa, Managing Partner of NanoFibre.
PacketFront has successfully deployed open access FTTH networks in over 100 communities in 12 different countries. PacketFront networks have won awards worldwide including “The Most Advanced FTTH Network” for the Malar Energy City Network. (details) PacketFront’s unique BECS™ technology allows for the successful deployment of networks serving anywhere from 200 to 2,000,000 customers.
“PacketFront has industry leading products but our experience in working with clients to successfully implement networks is what differentiates us. We begin by understanding the business goals of our client and then provide the products and services that meet those goals. We will operate those products while continuously making sure the business goals are being met and when the client is ready, we transfer the implementation to them. Collectively, that is the PacketFront solution”, Matt Wenger, VP Sales, the Americas, PacketFront.
Targeted to deliver services within the community of Radium Hot Springs this year, the NanoFibre network will be a member network in the CMON initiative.
“The CMON initiative develops and delivers community broadband deployments over a vast geographical area – as such, it is vital that we can manage member networks from a central location quickly and efficiently. The PacketFront equipment and management systems deliver all this while significantly reducing operational expenses,” commented Dan McCarthy, CEO of CMON.
November 17 , 2006 - Windermere Valley Network Back on Track
The Windermere Valley’s most talked about fibre network is back on track and bigger than ever. The first of the new services will be available to residents of Radium in the summer of 2007. Private investors will pick up what the village voters came so close to approving as a public utility.
The champions for the project continue to be Radium Mayor Greg Deck and Invermere Resident Mark Halwa, who committed their own money which convinced other investors of their belief in the technology.
“We would never have advocated putting public money into something that we wouldn’t put our own into,” said Deck. And their commitment to the project spoke loudly to their new partner, the Windermere Water and Sewer Company. “It's not very often that public figures walk the walk so emphatically,” said Hank Swartout. “I'm pleased to be part of such a forward looking venture, and I think it will be a good fit with our own utilities in the region.”