The Legal government will use the services of Tesla founder Elon Musk’s company to fulfill its promise to provide low – speed Internet access before the end of its mandate. Only 10,000 remote homes are connected through the American company service.
Posted at 11:06 am
Updated at 1:47 pm.
StarLink’s low-orbit satellites operated by SpaceX, the best technological solution to connect homes that are difficult to reach via fiber optics, were backed by Gilles Belanger, a parliamentary assistant to the prime minister, a high-speed internet component. Monday Sherbrook. He explained that due to their geographical remoteness, some homes could not connect to the fiber optic network.
“The only solution to connect these orphan families is the SpaceX solution. I have nothing to do with Elon Musk, I have a connection with a technical solution that is highly sophisticated. ⁇
If fiber optics is preferred when possible, there will be better connections to homes connected to high-speed internet via satellite, Mr. Belanger assured. Starlink can offer download speeds of up to 100 megabits (Mbit / s), while connections are considered to be faster than 50 Mbit / s. “Often people confuse the old high-orbit satellite with the new low-orbit satellite. There is no problem with the quality of the Internet service.”
So Quebec is allocating $ 50 million to launch the expansion of StarLink’s satellite broadcasting service. The government hopes to connect 10,200 homes south of 57And In parallel with September 30, 2022. 9.5 million assistance will also be provided to the families concerned to estimate the total cost of purchasing the reception equipment.
Dominic Angled, the official opposition leader, said in a press briefing that awarding the contract to an American company raises questions and that he did not have access to all the details of the deal. “I like that we do business with the people here in Quebec. To understand the need to do business with this company when we are one here in Quebec, this is the first question I ask the government. ⁇
Stefan Le Bouyonek, associate secretary general of the Quebec Executive Council, replied that local businesses would be given priority whenever possible. “We have given everything we can to Quebec and Canadian companies. Big players, but also small players. ⁇
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The Legalt government estimates that by the end of September it will have achieved its goal of providing high-speed Internet access to 250,000 homes by the end of its mandate. This number includes 10,000 homes connected through the StarLink service.
These homes must have at least 50 Mbit / s download and 10 Mbit / s upload connection with unlimited data transfer capability.
Mr. Bélanger wanted to start a deal with Starlink a little earlier, but he said the conflict in Ukraine had delayed his plans for a few months. The American company abandoned the capability to the Ukrainian government, which needed satellites to defend itself against Russian invasion. “I think delaying a few months is a good thing for us. ⁇
An interactive map that can monitor high-speed internet expansion across Quebec was also unveiled on Monday. Map tracks connection status for address, municipality or region.
Quebec has budgeted $ 1.3 billion to accelerate the integration of remote areas.
In a press briefing, Mr. Le Bouyonnec said it had committed about $ 1.1 billion, including Monday’s announcement. The federal government provided about $ 470 million for these funds, bringing Quebec’s share to about $ 610 million.
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