Category: News

The most advanced broadband communities supply their own communications networks.

Not one of the 14 winners of the ICF’s global “Most Intelligent Community” award, has had their network provided by a telecommunications company.

Networks that are provided with the mission of community value, are more advanced than those run to make a profit. Here are some examples of community-owned network activity:

Among the advantages that drive these communities to provision of their own network, are:

• Provision of an additional revenue stream for the community;
• Added online services and options;
• Lower cost of subscriber service for residents;
• Move up the value chain for business investment, both local and from abroad
• Ability to become the carriers’ carrier, renting network space to telecommunications providers
  • Full use of any current network capacity in the community, and efficient use of other capacities already in place in terms of infrastructure and service delivery from community departments
  • Revenues from businesses
  • Savings to municipalities from hosting current online Public Service activities.

• Canada already lags globally
  • These speeds provide true interactive broadband connectivity with average speeds approaching 100Mbs. That is 20 X faster than current residential Internet download speeds in Canada and 70 X faster than current upload speeds in Canada.
  • The big Internet service providers have responded to this explosive growth by blocking or restricting service on their networks in order to provide an acceptable level of service to all of its customers.
  • Properties that have broadband access are valued at $5-7k more than otherwise.

Network-driven innovation is the most important single factor creating economic growth today:

• Innovation has created two-thirds of all economic growth (study: 2000-2008, UK)
• The face of Innovation is networked:
  • The Internet accounts for 21% of all global GDP growth among developed nations
  • Facebook is now worth more than Walmart, the world’s largest retailer
  • Apple, Microsoft and Google top the list of most valued companies in US — and their activity is innovation, not new research; they do not make new discoveries.

A Smart Rural Region is anyone or grouping of communities, large or small, central or remote, that enjoys the economic development, job growth and social prosperity that bloom when software applications are used to engage the energy of all sectors of the community.

i-Valley is a not-for-profit movement to create Smart Rural Communities and regions, that mobilize citizens to achieve faster economic growth, better health care and greater sustainability, through the engagement of users with advanced enabling technologies.

We unite with a Consortium of best-practice partners, selected to suit each community’s specific situation – to provide a complete broadband “Utility” for communities:

1. Managed Services
2. Consultancy
3. Strategic Future-proof Plans
4. Network Build
5. Network Maintenance
6. Network Operation
7. Community Engagement
8. Events

i-Valley has won the Connect to Innovate program funding for the Municipality of Kings. I-Valley’s win was the largest in the province, out-weighing the funding of all other parties combined.

i-Valley has entered into an agreement with the Government of PEI to do the first-ever full-province survey of network speeds, using the Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s Internet Performance Tool.