Page 28 - Westman Business 2019

28 THE BRANDON SUN • WESTMAN BUSINESS • OCTOBER 2019
» Westman Communications Group

Services connect communities

It might not occur to people living BellMTS,” said Bud Keys, director of West-
in Brandon, but not everyone in the West- man Business services at Westman Commu-
man region has the same access to telecom- nications Group.
munications services. WCG offers at least 150 megabits per
Some rural communities still have old co- second download speeds to their fibre-con-
axial lines that aren’t set up for fast internet nected communities. In several communities
speeds, feature-laden home phone service or where WCG and BellMTS compete, Bell-
access to a full variety of cable channels. MTS offers as limited as 5 megabits per sec-
That’s why Westman Communications ond.
Group (WCG) is working to bring fibre-op- When these four new communities are
tic service to previously underserved commu- brought into the WCG family, they will get
nities. fibre-optic service right to their door, just like
Over the next few months, WCG will in Brandon. That means they’ll have access
be bringing service to Rapid City, Inglis, to speeds faster than previously mentioned.
Oak River, and Minto for the first time. There aren’t appropriate telecommunica-
Expansion to those last three communi- tions infrastructure in those places currently,
ties represents the furthest east WCG has so WCG is making it available via new con-
ever serviced. When they are connected to struction directly to the residents and busi-
WCG’s fibre-optic network, it will mean nesses in these communities.
that more than 40 communities are serviced Westman Communications Group is expanding fibre service into seven new Westman communities. For the first time, some of these commu-
by the company. (Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun) nities will get the option to choose between
This means that customers, whether viced by WCG don’t have fibre-optic service Before fibre-optic, WCG provided service different service providers. They can compare
they’re individuals or businesses, will have right to their home, connecting WCG’s fi- to smaller communities via satellite, which is what they’ve always had with the new WCG
access to the same reliable service that 35 bre-optic network to previously existing co- not as fast. service options and see what they prefer.
Westman communities already enjoy. axial infrastructure has brought a noticeable “In many of these cases, we’re capable of
While customers outside Brandon ser- improvement. being upwards of 20-30 times faster than » Continued on Page 29