Storm Internet now serves five towers in the Perth area to support local homes and businesses
PERTH — Celebrating 30 years in Perth this summer, Storm Internet is marking the milestone with the launch of a new high-speed fibre-powered wireless service across Lanark County.
On Feb. 19, Storm teamed up with the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce for an information session and networking event that drew a strong local crowd. Guests gathered at 4 p.m., followed by a 5:30 p.m. presentation and refreshments at 6 p.m.
Chief executive officer Birket Foster outlined Storm’s latest investments, including a series of new towers installed over the past year to expand and strengthen coverage. Maps displayed service stretching from Charbot Lake to Casselman, with towers in Alexandria, North Lancaster and Bainesville near the Quebec border.
The company operates a wireless network supported by 48 kilometres of fibre in Clayton and also resells services from Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Cogeco.
“So we look at your address and figure out what’s the best way to connect you,” explained Foster.
Marketed as “Fastest Fibre,” the new service supports line-of-sight, near line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight connections. Tests on non-line-of-sight connections have reached 347 Mbps download and 176 Mbps upload, with line-of-sight connections extending up to 30 kilometres, depending on terrain.
Five towers now serve the Perth area, each capable of supporting at least 260 homes.
“We’ve completed the installation of seven of the eight towers and are now adding more customers,” said Foster.
The technology delivers fibre-like speeds of up to 300 Mbps, offering fast, dependable internet designed to keep pace with modern households.
“So far in Perth, we’re signed up about 130-something customers. We can take thousands more customers, and right now installation is free for the first 400 customers,” said Michel Lalonde, vice-president of sales and business development with Storm.
Businesses can select speeds up to one gigabyte download and upload.
“On the commercial side, we monitor them so we know first if they go down, versus them calling us,” said Lalonde.
Residential packages start at about $100 per month, with equipment costs varying by location. Upload and download speeds are tailored to customer needs. Residential clients can also expect responsive support, although they are not remotely monitored and must call Storm if they experience issues with the service or equipment.
“The service is fantastic. One phone call, you get someone local picking up the phone and answering the questions. Any problem that you have, they come out and fix it right away. They don’t make you wait, they don’t linger or delay anything,” said Adib El Khoury, a former Storm customer and vice-president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce.
“We want this region to be included in the world of internet. We want to support education, hospitals and businesses. You want to open a Shopify store, we can support that,” concluded Foster.
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