NorthwesTel joins CRTC internet speed testing project
Broadband customers in Yellowknife, Whitehorse eligible for 'whitebox' tests
NorthwesTel is joining internet service providers across the country in a test project on internet speeds and is looking for volunteers to take part.
Broadband internet customers who participate will receive one of 6,000 "white boxes," which connects to the customer's router and measures connection speed.
The data will be used by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to measure the performance of ISPs across Canada.
Participants will also be able to be access the data and receive monthly reports on their test results.
Joel Whitten, director of product management for NorthwesTel, says participants will find out if they're getting the advertised speed of their internet package.
"At this point there is no regulatory ramifications," he said.
"Our interest is in seeing high performance and we want happy customers and we are interested in participating in this so we can demonstrate that our network is performing."
Customers in Whitehorse and Yellowknife may be eligible to take part in the study. Northwestel is looking only for customers who subscribe to the company's top two internet packages.
Anyone interested in participating can find out more about the project at www.MeasuringBroadbandCanada.com.