Mage Networks Signs Memorandum of Understanding for Telesat Lightspeed Services

Mage Signs MOU

Mage plans to leverage Telesat Lightspeed to expand broadband internet services to unserved and underserved communities in Canada

OTTAWA AND CALGARY, CANADA – January 17, 2024Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT), one of the world’s largest and most innovative satellite operators, and Mage Networks, a leading Internet Service Provider and technology developer, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services.

Telesat and Mage Networks will collaborate on integrating commercial and technical aspects of Telesat Lightspeed high-throughput and low latency capacity into its services portfolio. Together they will develop demand and traffic projections and network performance criteria by market segment and define optimal business and operating models, with the objective of contracting Telesat Lightspeed services.

“Mage Networks understands the hardships facing people living in remote communities that don’t have the same technological access that others do,” said Dr. Sayed-Amr (Sisso) El-Hamamsy, Co-founder, President and CEO, Mage Networks. “By integrating Mage Network’s hybrid solutions with Telesat Lightspeed LEO capacity we will be able to deliver reliable, redundant, affordable service to more people, in less time and at reduced cost.”

Through this collaboration, Mage Networks will expand broadband internet services to unserved and underserved communities in Canada, leveraging the Telesat Lightspeed Capacity Pool that was established through a partnership between Telesat and the Government of Canada.

The dedicated pool of Telesat Lightspeed rural connectivity capacity is available to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and Indigenous ISPs at greatly reduced rates on a first come, first served basis to provide connectivity for eligible communities. With the Telesat Lightspeed high performance network capacity, service providers will offer affordable broadband service plans to their end users of at least 50/10 Mbps speeds with unlimited data.

“Integrating the Telesat Lightspeed capacity pool with the Mage Networks’ innovative services portfolio will be a powerful solution to bridge the digital divide in Canada and achieve universal connectivity for all,” said Michele Beck, Senior Vice President, Canada Sales.

Designed from inception to serve the demanding, mission-critical connectivity requirements of enterprise and government users, the Telesat Lightspeed network will provide multi-Gbps data links and highly secure, resilient, low-latency broadband connectivity anywhere in the world. With the signing of MDA as the prime satellite manufacturer and all necessary launch contracts in place for global constellation deployment, Telesat is well-positioned to begin delivering unmatched, enterprise-class connectivity in 2027.

Mage Networks Extends Reliable Internet Access to More Communities in Rural Milton Region

As part of its commitment to provide the unconnected and under connected communities with access to reliable and high-speed internet, Mage Networks has announced that residents of Brookville and Campbellville areas of Rural Milton now have access to fast and reliable high-speed internet.

Much to the delight of residents of the rural and remote community, MagiNet solution provides 100 Mbps for both download or upload speed and unique Guaranteed Streaming Bandwidth™ with no limited data at the lowest possible cost.

Mage Networks is committed to connecting everyone everywhere. Dr. Sayed-Amr El-Hamamsy, President and CEO, stated, “Our MagiNet™ technology is ideally suited to meet the broadband needs and demands of the Halton Region”. According to El-Hamamsy, internet has become a part in our day-to-day lives, required for work, hospital, banking, school, shopping, entertainment, and staying connected with friends and family.

Dr. El-Hamamsy further noted that there are continuing plans to reach residents in Lowville, Carlyle and Kilbride in Spring and Summer of 2023. MagiNet™ is a hybrid combination of fiber and innovative wireless technology, which means that with multiple backhaul points and its novel network design, users experience the best quality connection, regardless of their location.

“At Mage, we constantly optimise our network to ensure that obstacles like tress, building or weathers do not impact the signal strength and customer continues to have access to fast, reliable high-speed internet.”

According to Dr. El-Hamamsy, “We believe that internet should be accessible no matter where you live, because we understand the hardship that lack of internet causes, and we knew we could solve the problem.”

The installation of the network has begun in the Brookville and Campbellville areas, so residents can immediately begin to sign up while residents in Lowville, Carlyle and Kilbride can look forward to connecting to the high-speed internet in the coming months.

Mage provides services in Long Plain First Nation in Manitoba, Bragg Creek, Foremost and Redwood Meadows in Alberta and Rural Milton in Ontario.

Digital Futures & BC Broadband Conference

Lots has been happening here at Mage!  April 25 & 26, Sisso attended the Digital Futures Alberta conference in Pincher Creek and made many excellent connections with communities all around Alberta who really need upgrades to their broadband speed  – in short order!  We’re working on getting back to everyone there, and once we get maps of desired coverage areas, we’ll reply with network designs and quotations.

Sisso and Jacqueline also attended the BC Broadband Association Conference in Richmond BC last week (May 1 – 2).  This conference allowed us to reconnect with many of the Wireless Internet Service Providers we’d met through CanWisp and meet many new ones as well.  Sisso spoke on day two, and one excellent bonus was that Tim Ryan, of Kaslo Infonet Society, also got up to say a few words on Mage’s behalf, regarding his experience with the field test we ran there in early April.  Tim’s message was that Mage’s equipment would be a very useful additional “tool in the toolkit” for internet service providers,  since it can affordably reach homeowners that would be not economical otherwise, and that he was planning to deploy Mage’s equipment in various areas across the Kaslo valley this summer.  Thank you Tim!

We are very excited to be rolling out more networks this summer, and we are working to get our network designs/quotations out as fast as we can!  If you’d like to inquire about improving high speed broadband in your area, please contact us today.

Sisso and Simon from National Research Council talk NLOS wireless

Tim Ryan of Kaslo Infonet Society and Sisso speak at BCBC 2018

 

Revisiting Forgotten Homeowners

A speaker giving a presentation at CanWISP

Hello Folks!

We had a great visit at the CanWisp conference last month, and it got us thinking about the perspective of the Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs).  These folks are typically very technical, and yet also quite creative individuals, especially when it comes to problem solving.  We noticed that most have strong IT and hardware backgrounds, and found their way into the rural wireless broadband market often out of pure necessity; let’s face it, if they’re still in business today, serving rural homeowners with wireless broadband, given all the changes in technology over the years, they really know their stuff.  Several have even given us some new ideas we can use to improve our deployments!

One other interesting factor: they also seem to generally get along well with each other, and see themselves as all being in the same, quite challenging, boat.  The result of this is some degree of respecting each others’ territories.

So this is where things get interesting with Mage, as we present a new kind of technology that WISPs can employ to reach rural areas. How does a WISP grow its business, ideally without competing too directly with a fellow WISP?  Mage has a solution.

It seems most WISPs have a “NO” file.  This is a database of customers that they have not been able to service, or service well.  These are forgotten or rejected homeowners – homeowners that are in their area or near their areas of service, but are in tough terrain or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) areas that are simply too expensive to reach with either fiber or construction of new towers. They are people that have been told, “Sorry, your location is too difficult and expensive to reach, we can’t help you.”

Surprisingly, with trees and ridges, there are about 13 Million such households all over North America.  Every WISP likely has a file of a few dozen or a few hundred customers to whom it has had to say “NO”.

So to the WISPs we say – grab the opportunity to grow your business! Try our equipment – it’s inexpensive, fast to deploy, and will give you brand new customers in all those tough areas.  There’s no big capital investment – you can simply buy enough units to service as few as 5 or 10 customers in a given pocket, and get them up and running.  Send us a map of any areas you have in mind, and we’re happy to provide a free network design and quotation.

You’ve got nothing to lose, and so much to gain!