Issue 15 - April 19, 2024

Welcome to Issue #15!

Hello, readers! A couple of quick notes for you!

?? The May 27th CRRBC Conference hotel room block is selling out quickly, so book now, or you'll have to sleep in your car.

?? The inaugural Space panel—lots of work has gone into this one. I hope to announce our stellar (get it??) full list of panellists next week!

In this issue:

?? "...and the cost of Internet will take care of itself."

??? Space Lesson #2. LEO.

?? Smart Carts. They could be smarter

?? Did you know that 50% of people prefer 5G FWA? Neither did I.

??? Here comes Amazon's Project Kuiper!

?? Canadian VC investments are down. How come?

??♀? AI Girlfriends. $1B industry.

?? Electric robots and nukes

??Bottled water. Who knew?

...and two movie reviews for your reading enjoyment this week!

Remember to repost, share, like, and comment (good and bad).

Enjoy Issue #15!

In My Humble Opinion

"And the cost of Internet will take care of itself."

This past week, Canadians were treated to a new Federal budget that was met with mixed reactions. While some sectors welcome the focus on housing and clean energy, others express concerns over the increased tax burdens and their potential impact on investment and economic growth. The debate over the capital gains tax increase is particularly notable, with some warning it could lead to a brain drain as talent and startups look for more favourable economic environments. Assertions that only 0.13% of Canadians, who are individuals with an average income of about $1.4 million a year, are expected to pay more in personal income tax on their capital gains as a result of the change are also proving to be incorrect. The impact on the middle-class will be significant as well.

During a recent radio interview with Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party in Canada, he commented that he was concerned the budget did nothing to address the high cost of Internet and Mobility services in Canada, something he's been harping on for many years.

He's right. It didn't, but I think the market may be taking care of itself (much like what Justin Trudeau said about the Federal budget in 2014) for the time being.

I posted on LinkedIn a number of months ago about an experience with a Telus door-to-door salesperson who wanted to sell me all sorts of things, starting with mobility and then including TPIA-based Internet access on the freshly installed FTTH plant in my neighbourhood (that will come to an end shortly, so it seems). I didn't take his offer, but it did signal the start of the equivalent of gas station wars - you know, when you have a couple of gas stations on each corner of an intersection where one lowers their price, so everyone else follows.

Anyway, back to my door-to-door stories. Now that Bell has its shiny fibre in the ground, they want to take customers away from Rogers - and how do you accomplish that land grab? Pricing, because that's all people really seem to care about, on both sides. Let me explain.

I will frame this discussion by saying that I have been a loyal Rogers customer since 1990-whatever when they bought Shaw's business in eastern Canada that serviced my neighbourhood. So call it 25+ years, for argument's sake. I have my Internet, TV and phones with them. My security is with Telus. I worked for Rogers before it was even Rogers (anyone remember Cantel?). I even met Ted Rogers a couple of times, although, for some reason, the mention of my encounters with him was absent in the book "Relentless - The True Story of the Man Behind Rogers Communications." It still hurts, but I've managed to live with the pain.

Back to my door-to-door story. I started to receive promotions in the mail from Bell.

$65 for 1.5Gbps, and "switching is easy! Order now". Hmm. It's certainly better than the 500/20Mbps service I have now in terms of both speeds and price - (and I don't care what anyone says; I've experienced 1G symmetrical services at my cottage, and the upstream makes a huge difference when sending large files - which I often do).

Then came the knock on the door from the Bell guy roaming around the neighbourhood.

Not only will he sign me up for $65/month for the same plan, so he says, but he's also happy to offer me mobility services for $50/month with 150Gb of data and free calling and text throughout Canada, the US and Mexico - and not as a promotional offer on the mobility product; he says "forever".

It's compelling, but in my mind, I think my loyalty and commitment to my existing provider is worth something. I tell the Bell man to leave me his contact information. I will get back to him once I have completed my research.

Now to see what Rogers has to say. After about 30 minutes on the phone with someone who suggested they were in the retention department, it seems they are content to see me leave if I so choose. I wasn't suggesting they have to meet the competitive offer head-on, but throw me a bone and make me feel like a valued customer instead of telling me what they can't do, or what else they wanted to sell me. I'm not happy to pay more, but I know how to navigate Rogers to get things done when I have an issue. There's some value in that in terms of my time, although it's not working out all that well for me this time ;)

Although I haven't switched, I may look at unbundling my services. Even with the change in pricing to my other services, it still may make sense. It's the long-term unknown in terms of FTTH service price changes post-promotion that gives me cause me to pause. "Price is subject to increase during your subscription," small print and all.

For now, this is how the market is taking care of itself, at least in Ontario. There's little room for competitors.

Technology

Space Explained - Lesson #2 Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are a group of Earth-observing satellites that orbit relatively close to the Earth's surface, ranging from about 160 to 2,000 Km (99 to 1,200 miles) above the Earth. This proximity to Earth offers several advantages, including reduced latency for communications, higher resolution for imaging applications, and lower costs for satellite launch and maintenance compared to satellites in higher orbits (See Issue #4, Lesson #1, GEO Satellites).

Advantages of LEO Satellites

1. Reduced Latency: Due to their closer proximity to Earth, LEO satellites offer significantly lower latency in communications, making them ideal for real-time applications such as voice calls and internet services
2. High-Resolution Imaging: LEO satellites are extensively used for Earth observation and imaging because they can capture high-resolution images of the Earth's surface. This capability is crucial for monitoring climate change, natural disasters, urban development, and environmental conservation efforts
3. Cost-Effectiveness: Launching satellites into LEO requires less energy compared to higher orbits, making it more cost-effective. Additionally, the satellites themselves can be smaller and less powerful, further reducing costs

Examples of LEO Satellites

• Likely, the most well-known LEO constellation is Starlink (SpaceX). With over 5,000 satellites in orbit, they continue to dominate the skies at this point. Amazon's Project Kuiper is hot on their heels in the direct-to-consumer space. Companies like OneWeb, Telesat and Iridium are also playing in the LEO orbits with voice and data communication solutions.
• The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at about 400 to 420 km above Earth's surface and requires periodic re-boosting due to orbital decay. Maybe they need a space dentist ??.
• The Iridium telecom satellites, which provide global mobile communication, orbit at about 780 km. You've seen the satellite phone with the big antennas. That's what they're communicating with. It makes you wonder how the emerging direct-to-cell systems will work with the little antennas in our cell phones.
• The Hubble Space Telescope orbits about 540 km above Earth, enabling it to capture detailed images of space, including certain faraway planets...

Transmission Frequencies

LEO satellites use various transmission frequencies for downlinking data to Earth. For example, the Terra satellite uses 8212.5 MHz, and Aqua uses 8160 MHz, both within the Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) band

These frequencies are crucial for transmitting the vast amounts of data these satellites collect back to Earth.

Specific frequency ranges used by Starlink include:

• 10.7-12.7GHz and 37.5-42.5GHz: For data transmission from satellites to the customer's terminal
• 17.8-18.6GHz, 18.8-19.3GHz, and 37.5-42.5GHz: For satellite to gateway transmissions
• 14-14.5GHz, 47.2-50.2GHz, and 50.4-51.4GHz: For transmissions from the customer's terminal back up to the satellites
• 27.5-29.1GHz, 29.5-30GHz, 47.2-50.2GHz, and 50.4-51.4GHz: For sending information from the gateways back up to the satellites
• 12.15-12.25GHz, 18.55-18.6GHz, and 37.5-37.75GHz: For downlink tracking, telemetry, and control
• 13.85-14GHz and 47.2-47.45GHz: For uplink tracking, telemetry, and control

Additionally, SpaceX has sought access to more spectrum for mobile Starlink service, specifically requesting the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands for uploading and the 2.4GHz spectrum for downlinking.

However, the FCC denied Starlink's request to use additional spectrum in the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands and 2GHz bands because.... they are being used by some terrestrial providers.

Challenges and Considerations

While LEO satellites offer numerous benefits, they also face challenges such as the need for a large constellation to provide continuous coverage due to their fast-moving nature and lower field of view.

Is we take a flat-earth look at space, this is what Starlink's constellation of 5,552 satellites looks like.

And that's not including all of the other LEO things flying around.

By comparison, here's everything up there - all 9,401 GEO, MEO and LEO satellites.

Do the math. SpaceX is approaching 60% of all satellites in Space with the Starlink constellation. Can there be a monopoly in space? Hmm.

Additionally, satellites in lower regions of LEO suffer from rapid orbital decay and must be periodically re-boosted or replaced. Elon also lost a fleet of satellites in 2023 due to a solar storm.

Space debris in LEO also poses a risk of damage, requiring careful tracking and management. 1-800-GOTJUNK, space division.

Future Prospects

The LEO satellite market is experiencing significant growth, driven by advancements in satellite technology and increasing demand for high-speed global communication and detailed Earth observation data.

This trend is expected to continue, with LEO satellites playing a crucial role in shaping the future of global communication and Earth observation.

So there.

Next week, I'll fill in the MEO gap and chat about OISL—Optical Inter-Satellite Links. Canada's National Research Council (NRC) is also undertaking research work in this space (excuse the pun).

Amazon starts selling smart grocery carts to other retailers

Amazon launched the Dash Cart in 2020 at its Fresh supermarket chain before adding it to select Whole Foods stores. They use a combination of computer vision and sensors to identify items as they’re placed in bags inside the cart. As shoppers add and remove items, a display on the cart adjusts the total price in real-time.

Read the full article

My Take: Just Walk Out didn't work, so now they've pivoted to the carts. I wonder how much food that woman has shoved in her coat pockets? ?? Not sure this will do anything to help the theft problem that many grocery stores are dealing with, but it will/might make the checkout process a little easier. Do I bag things as I go along, or will someone be checking my stuff a la Costco when I leave?

I pay more, but I still have to do everything myself.

You know what would be really impressive? If I sent the cart a list of what I needed, it would go up and down the aisles, picking things off of the shelves and putting them in the cart and then returning to the lounge where I'd be waiting and writing articles about shopping carts for my newsletter.

Canada Broadband and Things

5G FWA growing as leading broadband choice for Canadian households: Ericsson report

While awareness of fixed wireless access (FWA) as a home connectivity option is currently low in Canada, households are primed to make 5G FWA their preferred type of broadband connectivity, according to a new Ericsson ConsumerLab?report.

Titled?Capturing the 5G FWA opportunity in Canada: A household view, the report is based on a survey of 1,000 household representatives across Canada and interviews with 200 active FWA users, conducted from August to October 2023.

According to the report, 70 per cent of Canadian households are not even aware of FWA as a technology. In addition, one in three households who do know about FWA are not aware of any provider offering FWA, the report says.

The study found 74 per cent of Canadian households believe they have fixed broadband today and nearly 67 per cent of households are satisfied with their current home connectivity.

“More than half of Canadian households chose 5G FWA as their primary connectivity (as opposed to being a complement) last year, an amount that has been steadily rising over the last two years,” the report says.

Read the full article

My Take: Where do I start.

"More than half of Canadian households chose 5G FWA as their primary connectivity".

Really?

From the report:

Canadian households believe 5G Fixed Wireless achieves Fiber-level performance while delivering a more satisfying service experience than Fiber. They expressed stronger customer loyalty for 5G FWA—over 12 percent higher—and rated 5G FWA significantly above Fiber when it comes to cost and most other criteria except technical support.

Huh? Is this a case of they-don't-know-what-they-don't-know because they haven't experienced fiber?

But wait. There's more!

5G FWA fell very slightly below Fiber on six main network-related selection criteria (security, in-door coverage, capacity, speed, reliability and latency). However, 5G FWA still had the confidence level to be on par with Fiber.?

Those seem like some pretty important selection criteria. So it's slower, less secure, less pervasive, not as reliable, but still on par with Fiber.

This thing reads like those AI-generated stock reports.

A shift in trend: 5G FWA is growing as the leading broadband choice for Canadian households.?

Maybe among Canadian households who have and need FWA? That's a pretty bold statement, don't you think? Good thing all that government funding went to support 5G FWA (?).

More than half of Canadian households chose 5G FWA as their primary connectivity (as opposed to being a complement) last year, an amount that has been steadily rising over the last two years. Among those adopting 5G FWA, loyalty is strong. Fewer than one in twenty households using 5G FWA would consider terminating their subscription within a year?

Wait a minute. "According to the report, 70% of Canadian households are not even aware of FWA as a technology," but more than 50% of them are using it.

Does anyone else question the "more than half of Canadians" part?

I took a look at the 2022 Communication Monitoring Report, just for fun. Here's what I found.

Assuming the 23% growth of FTTH-connected homes over the past 3 years, 2023 should show that 33% of homes are subscribed to Fibre services, still a part of the more than 87.8% connected with incumbent services (and not 5G FWA).

I don't see how any of this supports "More than half of Canadian households chose 5G FWA as their primary connectivity".

Here's some more. From their data,

Top right quadrant. Importance when choosing a new service provider. Let's go back to what they claimed were 5G FWA's challenges - security, indoor coverage, capacity, speed, reliability and latency. Something doesn't make sense if those are the drivers of 5G FWA, and those likely to choose it.

Let me end this with this. I'm a fan of 5G FWA. It has become a viable alternative to other legacy FWA technologies, and I hear from some folks who have it that it works quite well, but it's not fiber. That said, a survey of 1,000 users across Canada doesn't seem to accurately represent the entirety of Canada.

That's enough for this section. Whew.

Space

Space: The $1.8 trillion opportunity for global economic growth

The space industry is approaching the next frontier, with each week bringing news of a major development somewhere in the world. Be it a test of a new rocket system, the launch of an innovative satellite, or a robotic exploration mission safely landing on the moon, activity in space is accelerating.

We estimate that the global space economy will be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035 (accounting for inflation), up from $630 billion in 2023. This figure includes both “backbone” applications—such as those for satellites, launchers, and services like broadcast television or GPS—and what we term “reach” applications”—those for which space technology helps companies across industries generate revenues. Uber, for example, relies on the combination of satellite signals and chips inside smartphones to connect drivers and riders and provide directions in every city.

Read the full article

My Take: The Satellite Direct to Cell market and innovation alone represents a historic collaboration between terrestrial and space-based spectrum licensees. Rivada, Kepler and others are building "Outernets" to provide MPLS and MEF-compliant connectivity and routing in space. And so on.

Open your eyes. Look up.

Amazon’s CEO Hopes Its New Home Internet Service Will Reach 400-500 Million Households With Speeds Up to 1 Gbps

Last year Amazon successfully tested its new Internet service from space that will bring Internet to homes and businesses starting next year. To reach that goal, Amazon received FCC approval earlier this year to start testing up to 1,000 prototype dishes all over the United States. This will let Amazon begin mass testing as it prepares to launch satellites this year.

Now, Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy has given an update on the service in his letter to shareholders. “In October, we hit a major milestone in our journey to commercialize Project?Kuiper?when we launched two end-to-end prototype satellites into space, and successfully validated all key systems and sub-systems—rare in an initial launch like this. Kuiper is our low Earth orbit satellite initiative that aims to provide broadband connectivity to the 400-500 million households who don’t have it today (as well as governments and enterprises seeking better connectivity and performance in more remote areas), and is a very large revenue opportunity for Amazon. We’re on track to launch our first production satellites in 2024. We’ve still got a long way to go, but are encouraged by our progress.”

Amazon’s internet service will come in three speed options:.

Standard?This standard version will have an 11″ square antenna that will offer speeds up to 400 Mbps down. This will be perfect for most households.

Pro?If you need a lot of speed, Amazon has an 11″ by 30″ pro antenna that can offer speeds up to 1 Gbps. This will be perfect for companies or large households.

Portable?If speed is not important and you want something you can easily travel with, look into Amazon’s ultra-portable version that is 7″ square and offers speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Read the full article

My Take: SpaceX has a massive head start. There is always room for new disruptors to try and take share. A portable 7" panel, 100Mbps. Forget 5G FWA. ;) And remember, it's not an all-or-nothing proposition. We all remember the Rogers outage. More and more SOHO, SMB, and others are looking for redundancy and resiliency.

AI

Canadian VC deal-making plummets as AI hype softens

Venture capital funding slowed substantially for much of the last two years in the wake of feverish investing activity in 2020 and 2021. Interest in generative AI helped boost deal making last year, particularly in Q2 when Canadian companies in the sector raised more than US$710 million, according to PitchBook’s most recent data on the sector.?

But the initial hype around large language models—triggered by the launch of ChatGPT—has started to temper, VCs told?The Logic.?Investors are becoming more scrupulous about their artificial intelligence bets, which is translating to fewer dollars in the whole ecosystem. AI companies in Canada raised about US$245 million this year’s first quarter, PitchBook data shows.

It’s been a challenging year so far for Canadian startups trying to raise money. Venture capital investing declined to about US$600 million in the first quarter, down from US$1.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the latest PitchBook data

Tempered enthusiasm for AI and cleantech deals contributed to the drop

Read the full article

My Take: Reminds me of my Nortel portfolio. The AI space is very crowded with new tools showing up in my email lists every day. Canada has such a strong innovation culture with AI centres/clusters in Ontario and Alberta. Interesting that cleantech deals are also affected. New money seems to be going into SMR (small modular reactors) and Hydrogen, finally. Hopefully, EVs will be short-lived.

Tech exec predicts ‘AI girlfriends’ will create $1B business: ‘Comfort at the end of the day’

It’s only a matter of time before someone builds the next billion-dollar dating app that will pair real-life users with artificial intelligence-created girlfriends, according to a tech executive.

Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout, wrote a blog post on X in which he shared that he met a man in Miami who “admitted to me that he spends $10,000/month” on “AI girlfriends.”

“I thought he was kidding,” Isenberg wrote. “But, he’s a 24 year old single guy who loves it.”

Candy.ai bills itself as “the ultimate AI girlfriend experience” which offers “virtual companions for immersive and personalized chats.”

Kupid AI says that it uses AI algorithms to generate virtual and fictional characters — or “companions” — with whom one can communicate through voice notes.

Read the full article

My Take: Nothing like inventing things to give people even more reason to never leave their parent's basements...

And In Other News

TechCrunch Minute: New Atlas robot stuns experts in first reveal from Boston Dynamics

This week Boston Dynamics retired its well-known Atlas robot that was powered by hydraulics. Then today it unveiled its new Atlas robot, which is powered by electricity.

The change might not seem like much, but TechCrunch’s Brian Heater told the TechCrunch Minute that the now-deprecated hydraulics system was out of date. It’s not hard to spot why Boston Dynamics, owned by Hyundai, wanted to go electric. Its new Atlas robot is leaner, and appears to have improved range-of-motion. Size and ability to contort and maneuver are not cosmetic elements to a humanoid robot — they can unlock new use cases and possible work environments.

The new Atlas is not incredibly well-defined today, which is not a massive surprise given that it’s still a work in progress. Still, we do know that it will first head to Hyundai factories before hitting the market more generally down the road.

Happily for those of us who want a domestic robot to handle household chores and hold our hands whilst we cry, there are other startups working on the humanoid robot project. Figure, Agility, Tesla… there are too many companies vying for the same prize to note in this short post. Which has me incredibly excited — more people working on the problem means quicker progress, and hopefully faster completion of a general-purpose humanoid robot that can learn.

Read the full article

My Take: Hyundai? They make these things? Should we also expect an electric Hyundai Pony robot for kids? (anyone get the Pony reference?).. And now all electric. More stuff to kill the grid. Make me a nuclear-powered Robot.

Maybe Michael Lee-Chin can get those vSMRs into these things. Imagine a nuclear reactor walking around everyone's home!

and, speaking of Michael Lee-Chin..

Why Michael Lee-Chin is investing in nuclear power

One of the key technological developments behind these projects is the onset of small modular reactors (SMRs) and very small modular reactors (vSMRs). These reactors promise much faster turnaround times to construct and are less capital-intensive to build and run. Deir notes that they can play a key role in bringing power to rural and remote areas, while also supplementing larger urban centres. Unlike renewables such as solar and wind, Deir says, nuclear energy generates heat rather than just electricity. Using renewable electricity to generate heat is very inefficient, while an SMR can help support our needs for both heat and electricity.

Lee-Chin explains that in working to access nuclear power as an investment trend, he is seeking the ‘picks and shovels’ of the industry as well as its downstream impacts. That means accessing uranium production, SMR and vSMR technology, construction and implementation, and some of the technological uses of SMRs and vSMRs — such as hydrogen fuel production.

Read the full article

My Take: Hydrogen and Nuclear. Quit it with the EV investments. Focus the money on the long-term solution, not the interim band-aid.

Podcast Recommendation

Jordan Harbinger | #968: Bottled Water | Skeptical Sunday

"Does the $200 billion bottled water industry provide a superior product to what comes out of your tap? Andrew Gold investigates on this Skeptical Sunday!"

Jordan Harbinger does a great job with Skeptical Sunday, Feedback Friday and all the other stuff in between ;)

I listened to this episode a number of weeks ago and was reminded of it during a conversation earlier this week. It's a must listen, so I share it with you.

By the way, episode 924: Chris DeArmitt | Rethinking Plastic’s Environmental Impact is another very enlightening discussion.

Streaming / Movie Recommendation

What Jennifer Did

IMDb: 6.1/10

JMDb: 7.5/10

The crime involving Jennifer Pan took place in Markham, Ontario, Canada. On November 8, 2010, three men, hired by Jennifer Pan, broke into her family home. The assailants attacked her parents, resulting in the death of her mother, Bich Ha Pan, and severely injuring her father, Huei Hann Pan.

Jennifer Pan, along with her then-boyfriend Daniel Wong and two other accomplices, Lenford Crawford and David Mylvaganam, were all implicated in the crime. Initially, Jennifer Pan portrayed herself as a victim of a home invasion during her 911 call, but the investigation soon revealed her involvement in orchestrating the attack

Recently, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ordered new trials for the first-degree murder convictions of Jennifer Pan and her co-conspirators. The appeals court found that the trial judge had erred by limiting the jury's consideration to only two possible scenarios: a premeditated murder of both parents or a botched robbery leading to the shootings. This decision opens the possibility for the jury to consider other verdicts, such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, in the retrial of the case

Viewers generally find the documentary gripping, appreciating the authenticity brought by real interrogation footage. However, some believe it lacks depth in exploring Jennifer's motives and background.

The film addresses themes like parental pressure and cultural expectations, highlighting the extreme measures Jennifer took to meet these demands. It provides a detailed account of one of Canada's most notorious crimes, focusing on the facts and maintaining viewer engagement throughout

And...

This movie popped up while I was scanning a local theatre, looking for a couple of hours of escape.

Read the description of "Sting", below.

Looks completely plausible, complete with a cast comprised of who? I predict it will only be in theatres for a short time, so I'd better hurry up and see it! ???

For my readers, I decided to go and see this last night with my daughter. Surprisingly, we were the only ones in the theatre.

Here's the review.

In the 2024 cinematic masterpiece "STING," we're treated to the age-old tale of girl-meets-spider, spider-eats-world. This delightful romp into arachnid-induced anarchy gives us Charlotte, a precocious 12-year-old with a penchant for pet spiders that could give Little Miss Muffet a run for her money. When her beloved eight-legged friend morphs into a monstrous, flesh-hungry behemoth, the film spins a web of terror that's more tangled than a daddy longlegs' legs after leg day.

Director Kiah Roache-Turner, in a stroke of genius, decides that what the horror genre has been missing all these years is not vampires or zombies, but a giant, ravenous spider with a taste for tipsy Spanish widows. It's "Charlotte's Web" meets "Godzilla," with a dash of "Home Alone" slapstick, as our heroes attempt to squash the oversized pest with everything but a giant shoe.

The film's creature, a marvel of model and digital effects, is so lifelike you'll swear it's your Aunt Edna's tarantula that escaped during Thanksgiving. And as the spider grows, so does the campiness, until you're not sure if you're watching a horror flick or a Saturday morning cartoon.

"STING" is a sticky, gooey, and unabashedly cheesy creature-feature that's sure to leave audiences squirming in their seats – either from fear or uncontrollable laughter. It's the perfect film for anyone who's ever thought, "You know what would make this apartment complex more exciting? A giant spider."

Events

The Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Community Conference

?? The May 27-29th Agenda has been posted.

The CRRBC conference series continues into 2024 with two announced dates and locations. Mark your calendars and register early!

"Beyond Connectivity: Building Prosperity in Rural Communities".

"Let's shape the future together through engaging discussions on community economic development, workforce development, regulatory policies and the latest in technologies. Explore the limitless possibilities of broadband access in rural and Indigenous communities—from boosting tourism and advancing remote healthcare to fostering digital literacy, exploring data sovereignty, and laying the groundwork for Smart Communities. Your presence can make a difference! Mark your calendar now for a transformative dialogue that paves the way for a connected and thriving rural future.?"

• May 27-29th, Casino Rama, Orillia, ON
• November 3-5th, Delta Grand Okanagan, Kelowna, BC

Until Next Time

Comments here are my own and do not represent the opinions, views or thoughts of any person, company or organization that I may be associated with.

Feedback, comments and ideas are welcomed. Message me on LinkedIn or contact me at [email protected]