BEAUFORT DELTA - NorthwesTel's recent improvements to Internet service in Aklavik is hopefully the first step in a larger expansion of high speed services in the Beaufort Delta region, said a spokesperson for the telecommunications company.

Students at Moose Kerr School might be enjoying fast Internet access in the classroom, but they will now be able to enjoy it at home as well with the recent expansion of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology in the hamlet by NorthwesTel. - photo courtesy of NorthwesTel

The community of Aklavik will have easier and faster access to the Internet with a recent upgrade to digital subscriber line (DSL) technology. NorthwesTel representatives showed off the expanded service last Monday to residents of the Delta community.

Ann Kennedy, director of communications for the Internet provider, said residents who attended the presentation were happy to be getting upgraded services in their remote community.

"We've been hearing good things," Kennedy said.

"In the other communities we've launched in so far it's been positive reception. People are just happy to see the service there and they are signing up for it."

The expanded service, which offers five megabytes per second speeds, will allow people to have easier and more fluent and consistent access to the web.

"They're getting faster uploads and downloads and the usage allowances are being increased," Kennedy said.

"The wait times are gone now. It's always on and when you launch your browser it's right there. It's not like dial-up, where you have to go through all those lovely sound effects.

"It's a significant increase. For most people, especially if they were using dial-up, there is almost no comparison, it's that much faster. It lets them do a lot more."

Higher end packages for DSL are available to give enough bandwidth access for customers wanting to stream videos and play games on-line, said Kennedy, adding expansion went ahead because there was significant demand from residents and the return on the investment was enough for the company to move ahead with it, something she said wasn't all that difficult.

"It's just a matter of installing the appropriate hardware and software," Kennedy said. "It's DSL so we don't have any additional infrastructure, it just runs over the phone lines."

Kennedy said with the success of the upgrade in Aklavik, the company hopes to expand to other communities within the Delta region.

"We've got some future plans to launch in a couple other communities, possibly by the end of this year or early into the new year," Kennedy said. "Other than that we're still finalizing plans and preparations for an expansion."