Faster and More Affordable Satellite Service Meets With Strong Demand
WOODSTOCK, NB, Feb. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Xplornet Communications Inc.,
Canada's leading provider of rural broadband services, is pleased to
announce that its first 4G broadband satellite has passed all tests and
is now operational, serving customers across Canada. Launched in
October 2011, ViaSat-1 is the highest capacity broadband satellite ever
placed in orbit over North America, and Xplornet has acquired 100% of
its Canadian Ka-band capacity to use exclusively to provide 4G
broadband to rural and remote Canadians.
John Maduri, CEO of Xplornet Communications, called 4G satellite
broadband "a game-changer" for Canada. "I can't overstate the
importance to rural Canadians of being able to access fast, affordable
broadband. We made it our mission to overcome the urban/rural digital
divide, and we are succeeding. This should matter to all Canadians.
Universal access to and adoption of Internet technology has to be a
national priority if Canada wants to compete and win in the global
digital economy."
Xplornet initiated a pre-sale campaign after the launch of ViaSat-1
which included pilot subscriptions to rural Canadians to test the
integrity of the broadband service. According to Avis Sokol,
Xplornet's VP of marketing, "The customers on the service during the
testing phase were from select communities in Ontario, Alberta, and
Quebec. Sales and positive testimonials have exceeded our
expectations. Today, we begin marketing the service nationally through
over 400 dealers".
One such pilot subscription was for Stan Campbell, who runs Dinners4You,
a catering and meal planning business in Cobourg, Ontario. "Our only
option before was dial-up, and now we have something that's very fast
and efficient" said Mr. Campbell. "Xplornet has helped me be faster
with my emails, looking up information online, and it's freed up my
phone line for customer calls".
ViaSat-1 is the first of two 4G satellites Xplornet will be using to
provide coverage across Canada. The second, Hughes-Jupiter, will be
launched later this year and will further enlarge Xplornet's 4G
footprint and capacity. Those satellites, together with Xplornet's 4G
wireless terrestrial network and additional Ka band satellites mean
that Xplornet can make real, affordable broadband available to
virtually 100% of Canadians, regardless of where they live.
About Xplornet Communications Inc.
Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc.
(formerly Barrett Xplore Inc.) is Canada's leading rural broadband
provider. We believe everyone should have access to the transformative
benefits of broadband, so we make our service available everywhere in
Canada, including the hard to reach places. We overcome the challenges
of Canada's vast geography through our deployment of Canada's first
national 4G network, which leverages both fixed-wireless towers on the
ground and next-generation satellites in space. Our customers live in
the farthest reaches of the country and just outside of major urban
centres, and through our coast-to-coast network of local dealers we
connect them to all that the Internet offers. Xplornet is high-speed
Internet - for all of Canada.
xplornet.com | twitter.com/xplornet | facebook.com/xplornet
