Welcome to the self-proclaimed
Rural Ottawa High-Speed Internet Blog. High-speed Internet access is virtually
ubiquitous in the urban and suburban areas of Ottawa, but when I started this blog in 2005, only about 60% of the
rural areas of Ottawa have coverage.
However, even for rural citizens, high-speed Internet access is becoming as necessary as telephone service.
Happily, high-speed coverage for rural Ottawa has increased significantly, and not only is coverage
reportedly
above 90%, many rural residents and businesses now have more than one choice of high-speed ISP.
This purpose of this weblog is to track news and events related to high-speed (broadband) Internet access in the
rural areas of Ottawa and, to a lesser extent, in nearby townships.
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think members of this blog can be notified of any new postings via email.
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Postings & Moderation
I've opened up this blog to allow anyone to post to it. However, I continue to moderate and will remove any inappropriate content, e.g. anything not related to high-speed internet access in the rural Ottawa, the Ottawa Valley, Eastern Ontario, and the Outaouais.
I've just received an email from Steve Schauland of
Arryba Communicatons, stating that the high-speed Internet feed which delivers service to Arryba's network will be
shutting down by the end of this week.
For Arryba subscribers looking for alternative Internet access, especially high-speed access, consider:
One Arryba subscriber contacted Storm customer service, which informed him that Internet
service will continue to Arryba customers as long as they have signed up at the website;
someone from Storm will be contacting them.
There is no more billing from Arryba Communications Inc. The only new billing you should have is with the new ISP you sign with. I am not sure what is happening with subscribers who signed 1-, 2-, or 3-year contracts with Arryba.
NO ONE should be attempting to take or seize the subscriber units from Arryba Communications either.
This evening, I received both an email and a telephone call from the COO of
Arryba, Steve Schauland, informing me that all Arryba customers should now have service restored (as of 3:30pm EDT), thanks in large part to
Storm Internet.
Also, Storm Internet is working to provide current Arryba subscribers with the opportunity to have continued high-speed Internet services. To signup with Storm, please visit the following link:
https://www.storm.ca/app-wireless.htmlIn the additional comments section, please indicate that you are a current Arryba client as there is a special arrangement being made for all existing Arryba clients.
There are a number of other postings on
Arryba's website, which I
strongly recommend that all Arryba customers read.
On page C3 (Business section) of today's edition, the
Ottawa Citizen published an article entitled
Storm takes on Arryba Internet customers by Kristin Goff.
"Storm Communications Inc. hopes to take over high-speed Internet service for approximately 350 customers of Arryba Communications in rural eastern Ontario, after the company halted operations."
I think the key word in the above statement is
hopes.
At the present time, the article is only available on-line to registered Citizen 7-day subscribers, but may unlock to non-subscribers at a later time. A few excerpts of interest include:
"'We're going to take a run at taking them over,' said Barry Williams, president and CEO of Storm..."
and
"Mr. Williams ... said the process of restoring service to the 100 or so Arryba customers who have lost it, is not tecnhically difficult or time consuming.
'The hard part is managing 350 clients and them set up ... and, of course, I'm not sure what the process is for the trustees,' who will oversee the sale of the company's (Arryba's) assets, he said."
As mentioned in my updated posting below, Arryba has updated its web site several times over the last few days, with today (Aug 20) being the latest and most interesting update. In the posting, Arryba states that its existing clients will be transferred to another ISP in the next two weeks, and that contact info will be forthcoming.
The posting also states that
Storm Internet is working to restore service for affected Arryba clients (presumably those in Greely, Metcalfe, & Vernon). Arryba further directs potential new clients towards Storm as well.
Chris' Comments:
As an Arryba subscriber specifically and a rural high-speed Internet observer generally, I am paying close attention to all things Arryba right now.
Over the past week or so, I'd heard Arryba and Storm discussed in the same sentence on several occasions, and several people involved in those conversations suggested that Storm taking over Arryba would be good. Storm has been around for 10 years, and is an ISP which provides access services using a number of mediums, including fixed wireless, as well as providing web hosting services. (Some people even suggested that Arryba and Storm use the same wireless gear/technology, but I've yet to see that confirmed and from my own experience that does not appear to be the case.) Such longevity and depth and breadth of products suggests somewhat deeper pockets than a recent start-up like Arryba might have, especially given that Arryba's CEO evidentally left under a cloud.
If Storm does end up taking over Arryba, then Arryba's former clients may be in for a moderate pricing surprise, as Storm's current price point for residential service is $40 per month for 3Mbps service, plus an additional $10 per month for modem rental; until recently, Arryba had included modem rental in its base rates. On the upside, for Arryba subscribers left without service for most of August, it is worth noting that Storm's service includes 5 hours of dial-up access per month.
For those of you in the West Carleton area who are looking for high-speed Internet access, check out Steve Buchko's
Rural Broadband site for a bunch of useful info.
New Blog Name
For about a year now, my focus on high-speed Internet access has broadened beyond my own neighbourhood of First Line & Century Roads to the virtually whole of rural Ottawa and the area just outside the city limits, especially in the south and west. Thus, I've decided to change the name of this blog from the
First Line Road High-Speed Internet Blog to the:
Rural Ottawa High-Speed Internet Blog.
Over the past two weeks, I gotten numerous reports from neighbours, collegues, and other Arryba subscribers that Arryba is not responding to customer emails or calls or even new customer enquiries. In fact, Arryba's voice mailboxes are all full, and no one appears to be answering the phone, even during normal business hours. These observations by others align with my own personal findings since August 1.
On its own, this is all very worrisome. But couple it together with the still unrepaired lightning damage in the Greely/Metcalfe area, and frequently-interrupted service in the Kars/Manotick area, and one has to wonder about what's happening at Arryba.
If anyone knows anything more, please post a comment here. If I find out more, I will update this posting.
August 15 Update:
From a couple of sources, I've been able to find out the following info concerning Arryba:
Lightning damage in the Greely/Metcalfe area was more extensive and expensive than Arryba first thought. They are trying to arrange to replace/repair this equipment. Customers left without service will not be charged/billed. Arryba will continue to provide service where equipment is functioning.
August 17 Update:
My sources tell me that Arryba is intending to file (or has already filed) for bankruptcy protection, as it attempts to restructure.
August 20 Update:
Arryba is showing signs of life... or at least its website is. On its main page, there are three new messages dated August 17, August 17, and August 20. The first message states that updates will be posted in the next few days. The second message offers an explanation and apology, and lists some dial-up options. The third message states that Arryba is in transition and that existing clients will likely be transferred to another ISP in the comping weeks, and that Arryba is currently working with
Storm Internet to get services restored.
Rogers is now offering a wireless high-speed Interenet service which it calls
Portable Internet. The service is available in Ottawa/Gatineau, as well as other areas of Ontario and various other provinces. At the time of writing this entry, Rogers offered one service level:
- 1.5 Mbps download and 256 Kbps upload for $49.95/month
The service also requires the one-time purchase of a wireless modem for of $99.95* plus taxes. Rogers is also currently providing a special promotional offer for subscribers who sign a 12-month contract.
Here's a link to a July 17, 2006 Globe and Mail article on Rogers Portable Internet:
Rogers Portable Internet
Bell Canada Sympatico is now offering a fixed wireless highspeed Internet access service which it calls
Sympatico High Speed Unplugged. The service is available in Ottawa/Gatineau, as well as other areas of Ontario and various other provinces. At the time of writing this entry, two service packages are offered:
- 512Kbps download and 128Kbps upload for $45/month
- 3Mbps download and 384 Kbps upload for $60/month
Both packages require the purchase of a wireless modem, for $114 including S&H.
Service is rolling out, and Bell claims that "Sympatico High Speed Unplugged will reach more than two-thirds of Canadians in less than three years". This may help many rural Ottawans who are still without highspeed access.
Chris' Comment: It's about time! I suspect that Bell may be pulling double-duty on its cellular towers, so I would think that the service will eventually be available anywhere Bell provides digital cell phone service.
SimplySurf has increased their coverage of West Carleton in recent months. According to their web page, they now offer service in Eagle Creek, Cedar Ridge Estates, Corkery Road, Manion Road, Manion Heights, Constance Lake, Corkery Woods, & Spruce Woods.
On the evening of July 31st, 2006 lightning damaged a main junction point that feeds Osgoode (Enniskerry) and the Metcalfe Gold Course area. It is expected to be back up and functional on August 2, 2006. The damage was extensive and will be taking more time than usual to repair.
2 Comments:
I've just contacted Storm about transitioning my service to them. I had emailed them about one week ago with no response. They did confirm on the call that I was on their list and as a result I would continue to receive service. They also informed me that they were replacing all of the Arryba equipment at each of the existing 14 towers with their own equipment which is essentially identical. They will then contact each subscriber and have them make some configuration changes on their machines. During that process there will be a small amount of downtime. He did not have any indication of when the transition would begin. So - sounds good so far. If you have not contacted them yet then I recommend you do quickly.
Yes, this is essentially the same story that I got when I spoke with them on Friday. I wonder if Storm is waiting to takeover Arryba equipment or not?
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