Unfortunately, there are large portions of the population of developed countries that still do not have access to high-speed internet. This problem has become even more evident during the Covid-19 pandemic when more people than ever before were expected to work from home by way of internet connections that are simply not up to the task. Broadband, and the digital economy that it enables, is key to not only local community growth but also that of the entire economy with measurable improvements in GDP and job figures.
ExCap was recently retained by the largest province in Canada to provide advice on bridging the digital divide. ExCap developed a solution to provide all residents throughout the province with access to high-speed internet by 2025. This plan is based on covering every residence with a combination of technologies including fibre, fixed wireless, and low earth orbit satellite. The plan maximizes the impact of government subsidies by leveraging a reverse auction with high levels of performance management to ensure completion of the projects.