Access Communications is a Canadian
telecommunications service provider operating in over 235 communities in
Saskatchewan.
Headquartered in
Regina, the
co-operative provides
internet,
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...
,
telephone and
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
services to residential and business customers. Its primary competitor is Saskatchewan's government-owned
SaskTel.
History
Access Communications was established in 1974 as the Regina Cablevision Co-operative. After a prolonged legal and constitutional dispute between the federal and the provincial governments, which had differing visions of how cable television should be delivered in the province,
the co-operative was granted a
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licence for broadcast in 1976 and began providing cable television services as Cable Regina on February 14, 1978.
More than 24,000 households in Regina signed up for cable services in its first years of operations.
After nearly two decades focusing solely on cable television and local broadcasting, the co-operative launched
dial-up internet
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to establish a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) by dialing a telephone number on a conventional tele ...
service in September 1995 and cable modem
broadband
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
service followed in 1997.
Cable Regina diversified and extended its reach into other areas of the province in the 1990s through the acquisition of other cable television providers in Regina Beach,
White City, Weyburn, Estevan and Yorkton.
On April 17, 2000, the co-operative's name changed to Access Communications. In the early 2000s, Access Communications merged with the Battlefords Community Cablevision.
Primary line
telephone services were launched in 2007.
Looking to further expand its presence in smaller communities, Access Communications purchased
Persona's cable operations in Saskatchewan from
Halifax-based
Eastlink in 2009, becoming the largest cable television provider in the province. In 2015, Access Communications acquired Askivision and
Saskatoon-based Little Loon Wireless; the purchase of the latter allowed the co-operative to deliver fixed-wireless broadband high-speed internet to rural areas in Saskatchewan.
Services
Access Communications offers
cable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), radio frequency over glass (RFoG) and coaxial cable infrastructure. Cable modems are primar ...
and
fixed-wireless broadband internet, cable television (digital and analog), telephone, home security and
home automation
Home automation or domotics is building automation for a home, called a smart home or smart house. A home automation system will monitor and/or control home attributes such as lighting, climate, entertainment systems, and appliances. It ma ...
.
Internet
Access Communications uses a
hybrid fibre-coaxial
Hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network that combines optical fiber and coaxial cable. It has been commonly employed globally by cable television operators since the early 1990s.
In a hybrid fib ...
(HFC) network infrastructure to deliver its internet services. In March 2019, it announced that it is one of the internet service providers participating in the federal government's Connecting Families Program.
Cable television
Access Communications distributes
standard-definition and
high-definition cable television programming, including
digital cable
Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previou ...
. It offers
digital video recorders such as
TiVo,
video-on-demand services and has implemented
switched digital video
Switched video or switched digital video (SDV), sometimes referred to as switched broadcast (SWB), is a telecommunications industry term for a network scheme for distributing digital video via a cable. Switched video sends the digital video more ...
(SDV) technology in many markets.
AccessNow TV
Access operates
community channels on its cable systems branded as AccessNow TV (formerly Access7), which have carried locally produced programs and events, including programs highlighting multicultural, indigenous and LGBT communities in Saskatchewan.
The channels adopted their current name in September 2020. Its sports coverage includes broadcasts of the
Regina Pats and other
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...
games. Its first agreement with the Western Hockey League was signed in 1993.
Telephone
Access Communications' digital phone service was launched in February 2007
and utilizes
IP technology instead of a traditional landline. Such a system operates on an ATA (
Analog Telephony Adapter
An analog telephone adapter (ATA) is a device for connecting traditional analog telephones, fax machines, and similar customer-premises devices to a digital telephone system or a voice over IP telephony network.
An ATA is often built into a sm ...
) device with a built-in cable modem. The modem communicates over cable lines to a private IP network. In this sense, it can be considered
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet ...
, in that it is voice delivered over an IP network. However, because it travels over dedicated lines, it is still designed to be usable in a power outage scenario.
Home security
The co-operative offers home security and home automation services. In 2016, an
Alarm.com-based home automation monitored service was introduced. Subscribers can secure and monitor their property through web-based and mobile applications, as well as through
Apple,
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology co ...
and
Google devices.
Structure
Access Communications operates as a
not-for-profit co-operative and its brand focuses on its community-based ownership, reinvesting its revenues on service improvements, as well as promoting and supporting local events and community organizations. It has a charity, the Access Communications Children's Fund, as well as a
scholarship program. In 2019, the co-operative supported close to 2,000 community groups and was recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers, one of Saskatchewan Top 100 Companies and was named a Caring Company by Imagine Canada in 2017.
See also
*
List of VOIP companies
is a list of notable companies providing voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.
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! Company !! Base of operations !! Country !! Services provided
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, EMAXX , , Concord, Ontario , , Canada , , A-Z ...
*
List of internet service providers in Canada
This is an alphabetical list of notable internet service providers in Canada.
Among Canada's biggest internet service providers (ISP) are Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Shaw—with the former two being the largest in Ontario, and the latter two dominat ...
References
External links
*
{{Canadian VOIP
Telecommunications companies of Canada
Cable and DBS companies of Canada
Companies based in Regina, Saskatchewan
Media cooperatives in Canada
Communications in Saskatchewan
Internet service providers of Canada
1974 establishments in Saskatchewan
Telecommunications companies established in 1974