Xplornet Provide 4G to Rural Canada From Space (Now With More Rockets!)

Xplornet Communications Inc. (formerly Barrett Xplore), Canada’s leading rural Broadband provider, have had a big year.

Since raising over $230 million from private financing in May, the Woodstock, New Brunswick-based company have been extremely busy.  The company uses a system of satellites and base-stations to provide Internet with 4G speed to even the more remote Canadians.

In July the company acquired the Brockville, ON Internet service provider RipNET Limited, with an eye on expanding the Xplornet foot-print.  “We are delighted to welcome the RipNET customers into the Xplornet family,” said John Maduri, Chief Executive Officer of Xplornet Communications Inc. “This acquisition increases our fixed wireless broadband footprint in eastern Ontario and continues our company’s mission to make affordable broadband Internet services available to every rural Canadian.”

Xplornet have also been busy completing 4G satellite ground stations near St. John’s, Newfoundland in August, and Fort MacMurray, Alberta in October.  It is important to note that these ground stations, while located in various parts of the country, are the high-throughput terrestrial links to the satellite signal, and enable high speed Internet to remote locations throughout Canada.

Their first 4G satellite, the ViaSat-1, was launched in October, and a second satellite will be headed up in mid 2012, known as the Jupiter.  Bill Macdonald, Senior VP of Xplornet is confident that satellite 4G Internet will be a huge success. “As Europe, the UK, and the U.S. have shown, the only practical way to get real broadband to everyone, regardless of location, is via satellite. And 4G satellite is a game-changer in terms of its ability to deliver speed and capacity.”