Leduc Alberta partners with CIRA to test, measure, and benchmark local Internet performance

City asks locals to help in national Internet pilot project.  Leduc is the first in Alberta to participate in the CIRA online performance test.

LEDUC, AB, Dec. 15, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The City of Leduc Alberta has partnered with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to deploy an Internet Performance Test to help city administrators understand the state of broadband infrastructure and use in their region.

This project is part of CIRA's national pilot project to help municipalities create local Internet testing portals to support local smart-community and digital transformation efforts. Leduc is the first municipality in Alberta to join the trial and one of just two in Western Canada.

The test is accessible at http://performance.cira.ca/leduc.

Key facts

• Leduc is a growing metropolitan centre outside of Edmonton Alberta. The region is home to an expanding airport and a growing set of new commercial and retail businesses opportunities. Leduc is well-positioned as a hub within the Alberta economy, offering the infrastructure, skilled talent, and quality of life that attracts world-class businesses.
• Leduc's Internet Performance Test is crowdsourced, meaning that individual users can test their connections and offer real-life data to the local government on how their connection is performing. The test also provides information on network health back to the user, helping them understand the speed, performance, and quality of their Internet connection.
• The test displays results in a heat-map, helping users and administrators understand areas for improvement and to easily highlight areas with strong and high-quality Internet adoption.
• This local test for Leduc is built on the infrastructure of CIRA's Internet Performance Test. This allows local municipalities to deploy a test using the standard global M-Labs testing protocol.

Executive quotes

"High-performance broadband Internet infrastructure has become table-stakes in our current digital economy. CIRA's municipal Internet testing program is designed to help Canadian cities and towns understand the state of their digital readiness and focus their attention on the areas for improvement. Helping municipal leaders measure and benchmark Internet adoption can help cities create data-driven smart-communities programs. Understanding issues around connectivity is critical for communities of all sizes."

-          Dave Chiswell, VP of product development at CIRA

"We recognize the role communication and information technologies play in a modern city from both a residents' and business perspective, CIRA's test is helping us measure and benchmark our digital infrastructure."

-          Bart Pouteau, director of Communications and Information Support at the City of Leduc

Additional resources

• Test your Internet connection today at http://performance.cira.ca/leduc.
• For more information on CIRA's work to help Canadian municipalities address their needs to Internet measurement, visit http://performance.cira.ca.

About Leduc

Leduc is a growing, dynamic city in the heart of Canada's economic engine and conveniently located at the crossroads of air, highway and rail transportation. The City of Leduc is a centre of innovation, entrepreneurship and quality of life. As a regional leader, the city, together with other municipalities in the area, plays a key role in protecting the integrity of the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and leading economic development in the region, including Aerotropolis. For information on non-emergency city services and programs, visit www.leduc.ca or follow us on Twitter @cityofleduc

About the Canadian Internet Registration Authority

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. CIRA also develops technologies and services that help support its goal of building a better online Canada. The CIRA team operates one of the fastest-growing ccTLDs, a high-performance global DNS network, and one of the world's most advanced back-end registry solutions.

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

Ryan Saxby Hill, communications manager for CIRA, 613-316-2397, [email protected]