Two rural internet providers, Swift High Speed from Steinbach and 3T Systems of Niverville, have merged. With much overlap in service areas, business philosophy, and even hardware, the businesses saw the merger as a natural fit.
Evan Schroeder and Chris Teetaert launched Swift High Speed in February 2014, whereas 3T Systems was founded in 2011 by Rob Dolinski and Jordan Hiebert. Both businesses have served the rural communities southeast of Winnipeg.
Swift didn’t include much of Niverville proper or the areas 3T covered around Île-des-Chênes and Grande Pointe, as far west as the Perimeter Highway. This made it very attractive when 3T approached Swift to discuss a possible merger. 3T also owned many towers that filled existing gaps in Swift’s rural coverage, allowing homeowners more options for radio signals.
Now that they are combined, the new company services Niverville and rural properties west to Highway 75, north to Winnipeg and along Highway 44 almost to Beausejour, east past La Broquerie, and south past St. Malo almost to Vita.
“We were interested in gaining access to the Niverville area through 3T,” says Schroeder. “And we wanted 3T staff on board, because they were already established, they have expertise, and they were doing really well.”
“The great thing about us and Swift is that we primarily use the same hardware,” says Ryan Bergen, Vice President for 3T. “It’s a good fit and continues to give our customers even better service.”
The team doesn’t anticipate a disruption to customers who utilize either provider. Starting in May, 3T customers will be moved to Swift towers using a gradual process aimed at completion in July 2020. Customers’ connections will be down for a minimal amount of time, between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 a.m., to avoid disruptions to people’s workday or daily home usage.
The Swift crew, which had been busier than ever with fibre optic initiatives, could not have projected they would be merging two companies into one right in the middle of a global pandemic. Staff from the 3T office has been relocated to the Swift office in Steinbach, although half of them are currently working from home to adhere to social distancing recommendations.
With public health orders to work from home and the shutdown of provincial schools, the need for reliable internet has never been greater. Schroeder is pleased with how their infrastructure is performing.
“It’s a strange time, for sure, what with everyone at home and wanting internet,” says Schroeder. “But our towers are holding up. Our install crews have strict guidelines as to who to talk to and how to deliver hardware. We are doing basically a curbside drop-off whenever possible and then provide virtual support.”
Another Consequence
The new combined team is experiencing disappointment over another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. 3T had traditionally been supportive of local special events and Swift was looking forward to continuing to act as partner for the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair, which has since been cancelled.
“The fair was always a highlight for us,” said Bergen. “We especially enjoyed being of service to all the local vendors who would come to the outdoor market and provide the WiFi for all the local sellers. One year, the mini doughnut truck was using the local LTE network and it was overloaded so they couldn’t use debit to sell their doughnuts. We helped get them back up and running and they gifted us free doughnuts for the rest of the weekend. We love this community.”
Schroeder agrees with this assessment. “We want to be involved in the community and are looking forward to new ways we can do that, and then to be involved in the fair again next year.”
Looking ahead, the company will continue the fibre optic expansion Swift began in 2019 in collaboration with many rural municipalities in southeast Manitoba. Fibre optic construction will bring more capacity to their fixed wireless tower sites throughout the southeast and is projected to allow FTTH (Fiber to the Home) to those residing in rural Manitoba in the next few years.