Left on the sidelines after the formation of the last Council of Ministers, CAQ MP Gilles Bélanger believes that the equivalent of a Hydro-Québec of fiber optics could see the light of day by relying on an announced three billion dollar fund. by his party during the election campaign.
Mr. Bélanger, who was responsible for developing high-speed Internet in the regions during the last mandate, believes that the State has a role to play in improving the connectivity of digital networks in Quebec. “We have already nationalized electricity,” he pointed out in an interview with To have to. It was an incredible economic lever for the regions. Now, for connectivity, what role can the state play? »
The objective is to make up for the delay in the modernization of the network, in anticipation in particular of the arrival of 5G, essential for the development of telemedicine and autonomous vehicles. The connection of 20% of the 4.3 million Quebec households is still slowed down by copper networks, estimates Mr. Bélanger.
“Should the state play a role in this connectivity? I think so, he said. I believe it can contribute to the wealth of Quebec, especially with our geopolitical situation and our renewable energy. »
Access to the fiber optic network that would be created could be offered to telecommunications and digital companies on the basis of pricing established by a government corporation created for this purpose. “The Crown corporation could have non-activated fiber in which suppliers could send information,” explains Mr. Bélanger.
Attached to Finance
During the election campaign, François Legault announced the creation of the infrastructure and data fund, endowed with three billion. The political formation hopes to generate a total of nearly eight billion in investments, thanks to 4.7 billion which would come from the private sector.
“Electricity has been a major engine of development in the 20the century, said Mr. Legault in the summer. In the XXIe century, it is the transmission of digital data that will increasingly be the driving force behind development. »
Mr. Bélanger, who attended this announcement last summer, wants to continue to be involved in the project.
According to two sources, the three billion fund will be attached to the portfolio of Finance Minister Eric Girard, who would likely have Mr. Bélanger as the new parliamentary assistant.
After the announcement of the composition of the new Council of Ministers, Mr. Bélanger, MNA for Orford, expressed his disappointment at not being part of it. He had, however, rallied to the decision of Mr. Legault, of which he was the parliamentary assistant during the last mandate.
Hydro-Quebec and the MTQ
By completing Quebec’s fiber optic network, Mr. Bélanger hopes to attract businesses. The prospect of reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions thanks to hydroelectricity would be an additional advantage, believes the MP.
Mr. Legault has also set up a committee that will determine how hydroelectricity will be used to reduce GHGs and develop the economy. Minister Girard and his colleague in the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, are part of it.
Hydro-Québec could be solicited for two reasons in the development of connectivity. In addition to its advantageous rates, it could install non-activated optical fiber through its distribution network. Same thing for the network of the Ministry of Transport of Quebec (MTQ), estimates Mr. Bélanger. “When you make a road, based on the road, there should be black fiber, either in the primary or secondary roadway,” explains Mr. Bélanger.
According to the MP, Quebec could position itself as a digital gateway to North America.
The economic benefits of state involvement would be felt quickly. Mr. Bélanger expects an annual average of four billion dollars by 2030.
Thousand times more customers
Professor of electrical engineering at Laval University, researcher at the Center for Optics, Photonics and Lasers and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Communication Systems in Support of Cloud Computing, Leslie Rusch believes that the government must a role in the development of fiber optics, in particular because the private sector is sometimes less motivated to do so.
“In more remote areas where the population is less dense, it can take years for a company to recoup its investment,” she says.
Replacing the copper network with fiber optics, which can serve 1,000 times more customers, is also expensive in Montreal, where the wires are buried.
“It’s never the cost of the fiber itself, which is quite cheap: it’s the installation that is very expensive,” explains M.me Rusch.
Hydro-Québec has indicated to the To have to not having studied the possibility of using its rights of way to install dark fiber in order to develop the fiber optic network.
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), which represents companies in the sector, did not want to say whether it is realistic for the government to expect a financial participation of 4.7 billion from its members. “The telecommunications industry has invested billions of dollars to increase coverage, while partnering with governments to connect the hardest-to-serve regions,” said CSTA President Robert Ghiz. .