Mississauga internet pilot - mapping connectivity

NRU
Sept. 27, 2017
By Sarah Niedoba

Mississauga's wants fast, dependable internet service for its residents, so they can connect with city programs and services. To better understand the connectivity needs of its residents, the city is creating a heat map of internet performance across the city.

In partnership with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, the city is asking residents to test the speed and quality of their internet connections using a landing page that can be accessed on any internet browser.

"Even in a large urban centre, not everyone has access to the same level of speed and connectivity when it comes to internet access," Mississauga CIO Shawn Slack told NRU. "It's important that we know which areas are more connected, because a lot of our engagement with our citizens right now is digital, and we need to know who can and can't participate in that."

The connectivity test is a six-month pilot, which wraps up this month. The final results of the pilot will allow the city to create a heat map of areas in the city with comparatively better or worse connectivity.

Canadian Internet Registration Authority product manager Richard Schreier says that there are many reasons that different areas have better or worse connectivity, including income level-some households may have purchased lower speed plans. Still, he says the heat map provides an opportunity for city staff and council members to better understand how to communicate with their constituents.

"What the heat map will be able to provide, say a local councillor, is an ability to look at how he [or she] needs to be communicating with their residents," Schreier told NRU. "If he [or she] wants to send a message using an HD video, [for example, it might prove to be] not the best way to get a message out."

The idea of better internet access across the city is something that Port Credit BIA general manager Ellen Timms says is extremely important to local businesses.

"As an organization, this is something we're excited about," Timms told NRU. "Nowadays a lot of our businesses have a bricks and mortar storefront, while having a whole other digital side to the business. It's a bit of a no-brainer that the better the Wifi, the better the business."

A final report, which Slack says will recommend continuing the test to improve staff's understanding of the city's connectivity issues, is anticipated to be before the general committee at its October 4 meeting. "We're going to talk to internet providers in the area, like Rogers, and give this information to them," says Slack. "We want them to know, when they're looking to do things like lay more fibre in the area, the areas that need to be prioritized."