THE ARRIVAL OF HIGH-SPEED INTERNET FROM IHR TELECOM IS WELCOMED WITH ENTHUSIASM.
Mont-Saint-Grégoire, March 7, 2024 – Enthusiasm has been at an all-time high since the latest doors listed in the Éclair II project’s deployment plan were put into service. This is true for both IHR Télécom employees and local residents! As a reminder, on July 23, 2021, the governments of Canada and Quebec announced “Operation High-Speed Canada-Quebec,” in which the Éclair II component mandated IHR to connect 894 households in the Haut-Richelieu and Brome-Missisquoi regions that were not yet served by high-speed Internet.
A project fraught with challenges
Numerous unforeseeable obstacles have arisen along the way in this fiber-optic project. In fact, this is what forced IHR to postpone its planned dates for connecting the targeted households on several occasions. “Our team rolled up its sleeves every time we faced an obstacle. Several roadblocks beyond our control forced us to knock on many doors to find alternative solutions, which involved numerous stakeholders, ministers, and others. In the end, this is the result of a great collaboration,” explains Gaétan Chénier, design and construction project manager.
Investments for a More Powerful Network
Now that its subsidized fiber-optic deployment projects are complete, IHR Telecom intends to focus its efforts on improving its infrastructure in order to enhance the services it offers its customers. Major investments were already made in the fall of 2023 to upgrade the Haut-Richelieu network, which was completed in 2015. It is clear that customers’ bandwidth needs have changed significantly since that time, when high-speed Internet consisted of 5 Mbit/s, whereas it is currently 50 Mbit/s. Who knows what it will be in 2.5 years?
Investments in this area will continue in 2024 with the creation of a dedicated budget for asset maintenance and network modernization, representing significant amounts. The goal in the coming months is to continue these network improvements to increase traffic capacity, which will enhance the customer experience. “It’s as if we were moving from a two-lane highway to an eight-lane highway. This will help us avoid congestion during peak periods and ensure we’re already prepared to meet the growing bandwidth needs of our current and future customers,” explains Jean-Michel Arnaud, IT & Telecommunications Networks Manager at IHR. The IHR Telecom team also plans to make recurring annual investments in improving the customer experience, enhancing its service offerings, and more.
Quotes:
“Our community deserves the very best. That’s why we’re now allocating funds toward asset maintenance. It’s important to invest in development and innovation so we can continue to offer the best technology on the market. We’re proud to be a key player in our region’s economic development, and we intend to remain so in the future. ”“Our community deserves the very best. That’s why we’re now allocating funds to asset maintenance. It’s important to invest in development and innovation so we can continue to offer the best technology on the market. We’re proud to be a key player in our region’s economic development, and we intend to remain so in the future.”
Pierre Lapointe, CEO of IHR Telecom since November 2022
Highlights:
- The 894 households served through the Éclair II program are in addition to the 1,000 households already served by IHR Télécom, bringing the total number of households served by the nonprofit organization to 22,179.
- High-speed standards increased from 5 Mbit/s to 50 Mbit/s in 2019.
- IHR Telecom has been providing Internet access services since its founding in 2008.
- IHR Telecom operates an FTTH network that meets the highest industry standards.