There’s no denying the fact the pandemic, virtual schooling, and the new world of working remotely has shown the limitations of many internet networks in the last two years. In that time, nearly every company has learned – or been forced to acknowledge – many “office” jobs can be done remotely.
But just like any big city during rush hour, too much traffic on a digital network can slow things down to a crawl – glitchy video, bad audio, or simply not enough bandwidth to run cloud-based programs.
It’s really a stroke of incredible luck that before the pandemic, Alberta was already in the process of upgrading nearly the entire province to a fiber optic network. We’ve talked about that many times here, and Expertec has been actively supporting this new industry with custom designed work trucks and vans as well as our Fiber Optic Truck Splicing Packages.
The bigger point is this: despite all the bad press and worry about what “should” be done, or how things “ought” to be, companies like TELUS, Canadian Fiber Optics, and Northern Lights Fiber are helping build a solution to the problem for Albertans, regardless of where they live. In fact, that’s the most exciting part of the entire $16 Billion fiber optic infrastructure project – the fact so much emphasis is being placed on bringing this technology to the most rural of communities in the province.
Especially at a time when there is so much division!
It’s our belief, as a company, that a child attending a virtual school in rural Alberta has just as much of a right to be able to access a high-speed network as a child living in the city limits of Calgary. The same is true for a business located in any one of hundreds of small communities in the farthest reaches of our province.
What’s so inspiring about the entire fiber optic upgrade isn’t the price tag, but rather, how it can change lives. Think about the push to bring electricity to the wild parts of the country three or four generations ago. How big was that impact? The same could be said of phone service, or state and national highways, or even public education.
We’re living through something that is just as important, and not only can we all benefit as Albertans, the fiber optic project brings development and income to our own people, at a time when so many need it.
How many businesses are going to open because of this? How many skilled tradespeople will finally have the courage to open their own business to help build this network? How many companies will benefit from supporting this new industry?
The data we’ve seen suggests as many as 25,000 new jobs will be created from the plan to convert Alberta to fiber optic, and to us, that almost seems too small. At the same time, the economic impact is hard to calculate. Take Expertec, for example. While we’ve created several solutions for fiber optic contractors and companies, the truth is, the companies in the fiber industry also need other types of trucks, vans, and equipment.
A fully loaded custom trailer used by a fiber optic contractor might have a great deal of things in common with a trailer upfitted for an electrical contractor, for example.
The real winner in the fiber optic race, though, is the average Canadian. They’ll have access to a faster and more reliable network at a time when the world is in dire need of one. More importantly, the need to continue to maintain this network will continue to impact jobs and guarantee work for thousands of our citizens for decades to come.
If you’re one of those 25,000 folks who are benefiting from the fiber optic industry, we’d love to hear what your needs are, especially when it comes to upfitting the right truck, van, or fleet for the job. Feel free to reach out to our team by clicking here or by ringing us up at 1-888-435-6466.
