Broadband

The County has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to expand fibre access to homes and businesses in northeast and northcentral Parkland County. The County expects proponents to complete the network construction and installation in 2024, which will allow fibre-based home internet connections to at least 3,000 households in the target area (map below). The successful proponent is required to offer retail broadband subscription services comparable to those available in urban centres of the region in terms of speed and pricing to residents and businesses in the fall of 2024.

The new fibre optic network is now operational for residents and businesses in the community of Entwistle. The internet service provider (ISP) O-NET offers various packages for ultra-fast internet, television, and phone services. O-NET provides installation, operations, and support for subscribers with their service packages. 

For more information on Entwistle service packages offered visit www.o-net.ca/entwistle or call 1-855-556-ONET (6638).

 Parkland County launched a pilot program on the use of Starlink internet satellite services within the County. The trial involves five different Starlink units at residential locations known for poor quality and limited access to wireless or fibre broadband services. A sixth system has been activated as a baseline for the trial and as a comparison against each of the five other units. The trial runs for a 10 to 16-month period to evaluate services under different weather conditions. Results from the trial will support the County in identifying where this service may improve the availability of broadband services in the more rural areas.

Trial has been completed, awaiting on final report to Council on findings.

Sale of the Towers

On July 14, 2020, Council approved the sale of the Parkland County tower assets. The County felt that an independent, specialized organization could better manage and enhance the existing infrastructure. On December 29, 2021, SBA Communications Inc. purchased the tower assets from Parkland County. For information on the collocation process with SBA, visit https://collocation.sbasite.com/ or call 1-800-487-SITE (7483).

In March of 2021, Parkland County applied to the Universal Broadband Funding (UBF) through Canada Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED) for funds to support the construction of fibre infrastructure in the rural western, underserved portion of the County. 

ISED continues to award telecommunication investment projects in rural and remote areas of Canada. Parkland County has not received an award or funding. 

In 2020, Parkland County completed an assessment of existing telecommunication fibre and wireless providers in the County with a focus on reliability, affordability, and quality of services. The assessment included a broadband survey throughout the County with a focus on the Acheson Industrial Park and the community of Entwistle.

Acheson and Entwistle Fibre Assessment

The County completed a fibre assessment to define an inventory of available fibre assets. A broadband survey and bandwidth testing campaign were also completed in the area. The information gathered identified a need for upgraded services in the area.

Parkland County supported an assessment of the community broadband services and review of any future broadband infrastructure investments for the Paul First Nation community through a Western Diversification grant.

The information gathered identified a need for upgraded services and provided recommendations to seek future applications with federal funding entities for construction and implementation of fibre to the home programs. A high-level fibre conceptual plan and cost estimation was developed to support any future plans for improving Paul First Nation broadband services.