Important information for all existing and potential customers:

Many of you have asked when service will be available in your area, or why your neighbour has service but you do not. Our ability to supply service is sometimes complicated by a "signal hole".

A signal hole is an area in the network where changes in elevation prevent the wireless high-speed signal from reaching a particular resident. The radio transmitter, located atop a Seaside tower, is like a floodlight; a signal hole is an area in shadow. Signal holes require a better line of sight, or a repeater pole, that can relay the wireless signal to the prospective customer.

The image below shows how the wireless signal (in purple) stops abruptly at the area marked by the arrow. This is because a ridge at 121 metres above sea level blocks the signal from reaching the community below at 56 metres above sea level.

In order to fill in a signal hole, we will take the following steps:

Identify signal holes: Our engineers generate a computer model like the example above. Then "signal testing" personnel are deployed to confirm the area of the hole.

Verify statistics: A Seaside team then visits each signal hole to assess its size, confirm the number of residents within, and to log important information such as vegetation density, GPS coordinates of high ground, and potential repeater site locations.

Establish repeater locations: Our engineering team reviews the field information and pinpoints the ideal location for a repeater pole to cover the greatest portion of the hole. Depending on the local topography, some areas may require two or three repeaters.

Acquire sites: Our site acquisition teams will visit affected communities to identify roadside locations, or alternatively, to discuss the rental or leasing of small parcels of land in order to install poles. [Note: repeater poles are generally the same size as a standard utility pole]

Establish construction schedule: Once consultation has taken place with local residents, Seaside will create a construction schedule to install structures across Seaside's service area.

Install radio equipment: This process begins when primary construction is complete. Positioning of the radios is most important; the repeater must see the tower and the community must see the repeater.

Install power: All sites within the network must have reliable power. Seaside will engage Nova Scotia Power as early as possible in the process to ensure timely power installations at the repeater sites. Once begun, this process can take a number of weeks.

Install customer: After the equipment is installed and powered, Seaside will ensure that the service is working at its optimum level. Once a site is completed, we will inform all residents within the former "signal hole" that they are now able to access high-speed Internet.

Seaside is committed to extending service to all currently unserved Nova Scotians in our coverage area, but it is now clear that eliminating all signal holes will take time. We will continue to work to fill in these holes. We aim to provide the highest level of service possible, and we invite you to contact us with any questions or concerns.