St. Charles Broadband Improvement
In the summer of 2021, it was announced that Spectrum Group (NetSpectrum) would be building and upgrading towers to improve broadband coverage and speeds in St. Charles and areas near the West Arm of Lake Nipissing.
The project is now complete and if you would like to inquire about service, please contact NetSpectrum directly.
Website: https://netspectrum.ca/en/contact-us/
Toll Free:1-800-461-6379
Please contact NetSpectrum for more information on availability in your area: https://netspectrum.ca/en/contact-us/.
Below are the estimated coverage plots for two enhanced internet towers St. Charles and the West Arm. Coverage is estimated and may be subject to alterations or modification before deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Involved?
Blue Sky Net, a not-for-profit Information Communication Technology Network advocates for broadband improvements throughout the North. Blue Sky Net created a gap study using GIS maps of broadband coverage as well as user submitted speed tests and applied to the Federal Universal Broadband Fund and will receive $421,763.00 from the program. Blue Sky Net is responsible for oversight relating to these funding requirements.
NETSPECTRUM was established in 2006 as the child company of Spectrum Telecom Group Ltd. The company has been a provider of terrestrial wireless internet solutions to numerous rural communities in Northern Ontario and have grown their infrastructure to over 130 towers throughout the region. Spectrum Telecom Group will build and ultimately own the new towers as additional pieces of network infrastructure that will connect to their network already in place. Customers will purchase service through the ISP, NETSPECTRUM Internet Solutions. It is possible that other ISPs will resell the service as well. Spectrum will be contributing $142,837.00 to the project.
How will this work?
Once the towers are built, interested individuals should contact NETSPECTRUM directly for service requests. If you are within probable range of the tower, technicians will schedule an on-site visit to confirm signal strength and to install the equipment pending signal strength tests. Typically, customers will receive an outdoor mounted antenna, cabling as well as a modem. Configuration of customer end equipment depends on a variety of factors including speed required, distance from tower, and terrain between tower and your location.
What happens if I think I am not in range of these new towers?
Fixed wireless networks depend on a certain degree of unobstructed path between a customer and a tower. Engineers decide on tower locations to maximize the number of people that can benefit from the improved service, however, harder to reach areas are sometimes not possible.
The maps provided on this page are purely estimates to give some idea of coverage for this project. These projections do not guarantee that areas under coverage plots are certain to receive service, while at the same time areas outside of these coverage plots are not guaranteed to be excluded. Even if the map depicts an area as out of range or uncovered, people interested in the new service are encouraged to fill out the form below or contact Netspectrum directly.