In line with the government's commitment to connect rural and remote Canada, the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) launched the Rural and Remote Broadband Access (RRBA) program in April 2002 where R&D was conducted and evaluation and tests of innovative and potentially cost-effective broadband access technologies and systems were done towards allowing the private sector to develop viable business models for the provision of broadband services to Canada's under-served areas.

A conceptual illustration of the optimum range for various broadband access technologies is depicted in the following diagram as a function of the population density. The diagram also indicates the Canadian population cumulated for different population density according to the Census 2001. Similar information is indicated for the USA using a scaling factor of 1/10.

Broadband access based on improved terrestrial wireless technologies has become the focus of the RRBA program. The program covers critical issues such as spectrum availability and interference, reach, deployment flexibility and equipment standardization. Affordability is the key to large-scale deployment in low population density areas and such affordability can only be achieved with the use of low-cost equipment resulting from volume production, a consequence of international standardization. The efforts have now been concentrated on an active participation in the IEEE 802.22 Standardization Working Group.

Please take a look at the following documents for more details:

• Presentations
• Annual Reports

Further information:

Gérald Chouinard
Program Manager
Rural and Remote Broadband Access
Tel: (613) 998-2500
E-mail: gerald.chouinard@crc.gc.ca