Success Stories
ISP-in-a-Box
City: Kamloops
British Columbia Regional Science & Technology Network Council: Interior Science Innovation Council
Rural communities often lack the technology and business skills to operate broadband internet services themselves. Now a Kamloops-based Internet service provider has found a solution by developing the ISP-in-a-Box, a software package that allows small communities to manage their own Internet services.
The fully integrated software package handles the key business, operational and technical functions of an ISP. This lets community members run a community ISP business without specialized training. Operators are able to learn on the job, bypassing the extensive technical training required for such an operation.
The Interior Science Innovation Council has managed and championed the growth of the ISP-in-a-Box project. The council has encouraged the developing company to expand their R&D program to explore wider applications, provided indirect funding through management and administrative support, and helped gather more funding from the National Research Council’s industrial research assistance program and Telus. More funding also came from the Thompson-Nicola regional district, and from private investors to pilot the project in several regional communities.
One ongoing project, involving the innovation council, the Thompson Nicola regional district and the Upper Nicola Indian band, has seen the band become the local ISP. The software is now being used in Blue River, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Merritt, Logan Lake and Whistler, and a major expansion with Telus is planned.
As the software is used in more places, small businesses are born, jobs are created, and economic activity continues to grow. Many First Nations communities have already benefited, as employment and on-the-job skills training are more readily available. These communities can now attract and retain new investment, as Internet service is a must-have for today’s businesses.
For more information, please visit http://www.ispinabox.ca/iiab/community_info.php.
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