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Over the last number of weeks more than 70 km of fibre optic cable has been installed! Now individual sections of the cable have to be spliced together, creating one uninterrupted glass channel.
That magic happens inside this trailer, where a technician connects the 96 individual fibres and fuses them together.
A computer checks each connection is sound and then the fibres are placed in a series of trays and moved to in-ground connection boxes, ready for action.
Are you interested in serving on the GwaiiTel board?
At the March Annual General Meeting the membership will appoint or reappoint 3 directors.
The membership is composed of the CHN, Village of Masset, Port Clements, Queen Charlotte, and Electoral Area Directors D and E (one vote each) and the councils of Skidegate and Old Masset (two votes each).
An ideal candidate will have a background in one of more of the following: the internet services industry, program evaluation, creating and maintaining partnerships, and/or risk management. As well, past experience on non-profit boards, experience with documentation and financial control and strategic thinking would be an asset.
If you are interested in putting your name forward for consideration by the membership, please email Terry.Walker@gwaiitel.ca for an information package and application form. Resumes and application forms to be submitted by February 19 at 4PM.
So what does this fibre optic cable look like? It's surprisingly small. The black cable is the actual cable, containing 96 fibre optic strands through which signals travel at (close to) lightning speeds. It's surrounded by a protective coating and embedded in a tube. There is also a second tube which is empty and allows for the possibility of future expansion!
The fibre optic line currently being installed has to cross creeks and streams. To minimize environmental impacts GwaiiTel has selected a construction company which handles this issue not by going over or through the water, but by tunnelling underneath the stream, using a small directional drill. The drill starts its work some 30-50 meters away from any stream, avoiding impacting the stream banks or stream bed.
And so it begins! The machinery and equipment have arrived on island and construction of the 114 km fibre optic line has begun. Over the next 8 to 10 weeks you will find crews working along the highway between Masset and Skidegate, as well as towards Tow Hill. The fibre line is going to be a vital component in providing better Internet to all of Haida Gwaii.
GwaiiTel Society is a non-profit Internet society owned by the communities on Haida Gwaii that supplies broadband to the islands. GwaiiTel brings internet from the mainland to Haida Gwaii and into communities. Local Internet Service Providers then provide services directly to homes and businesses.
