IPTV Medicine Hat

In Medicine Hat, the City is your power company and your gas company. It generates electricity, owns the lines that deliver it and sells it to you, and it has supplied natural gas to residents since 1903. The internet is the exception. On an independent coverage map built from CRTC network-owner filings, no City-owned network appears. Home internet comes over the cable network that was Shaw’s and now belongs to Rogers, and over Telus fibre and DSL. Here’s how Medicine Hat is wired, and what Boom TV needs to run smoothly on your connection.

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The Gas City and its own utilities

Medicine Hat began in 1883, when railway builders stopped to build a bridge across the South Saskatchewan River and a tent town grew up beside it. Railway crews drilling for water struck natural gas instead. In late 1903, City Council began supplying gas to residents, which the City describes as the beginning of a City-owned utility. Medicine Hat was incorporated as a city in 1906 and is still known as the Gas City.

The City began generating electricity in 1910. Today it generates its own power and owns the distribution system, and electricity generation, distribution and retail are all handled by the City, an arrangement it calls unique in Alberta. The city had 63,271 people at the 2021 census.

The internet is a different story

That coverage map divides Medicine Hat into 11 zones and lists the network owners in each. None of them is the City. If you’re used to calling City Hall about the power, you’ll be calling an internet company about your connection.

Cable: the network that used to be Shaw’s

Rogers completed its purchase of Shaw on 3 April 2023, so the former Shaw network is now owned by Rogers.

That coverage map lists this cable network, under both the Shaw and Rogers names, in nine of Medicine Hat’s 11 zones. The former Shaw network is also listed as a fibre owner in two of them.

Telus: fibre in most zones, DSL in nearly all

The same map shows Telus fibre-to-the-home in eight of the 11 zones, and Telus DSL, which runs over older copper phone lines, in ten. So being a Telus customer doesn’t tell you which technology you’re on. If streaming feels slower than your plan suggests, ask Telus what actually serves your address.

The map also lists fixed wireless from Xplore, Telus and Rogers in every zone, Mascon in ten of them, and satellite from Xplore across the city. It counts network owners only, so a reseller may sell you service over one of these lines under its own name.

Boom TV works on any home connection that meets the speeds below. Test it on your own line with the free trial. Boom TV is an app you install and sign into, nothing is installed on the line, and Boom TV doesn’t change anything on your internet account.

How much speed you actually need

Boom TV’s recommended speeds, per stream:

If a fast connection still buffers, the cause can be inside the house:

• Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi rather than 2.4 GHz. It’s faster, and less crowded in apartment buildings and attached homes.
• Plug the main TV in with Ethernet if you can. A wired connection takes Wi-Fi out of the picture.
• Keep the router out of basements and cabinets. Walls and floors cost signal.
• Count everyone else on the network. Downloads and video calls share the same connection as your TV.

Getting set up in Medicine Hat

1. Start the free 24-hour trial. Test it in the evening, on the TV you actually use.
2. Install the app on a streaming stick, TV box, smart TV, phone, tablet or computer, and sign in with the details sent by email.
3. Connect to 5 GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet and watch for a full evening. If it plays cleanly, choose a plan on the plans page.

No installer, no new wiring, and no change to your internet account.

Frequently asked questions

Does the City of Medicine Hat provide internet?

Not on the network-owner map. The City runs the electricity and gas utilities, but the internet network owners listed for Medicine Hat are companies such as Rogers and Telus.

Does Boom TV work on Rogers or Shaw internet in Medicine Hat?

Yes. Shaw is now part of Rogers, and Boom TV runs on that cable network the same as on Telus. Boom TV doesn’t change anything on your internet account.

I’m with Telus. Does it matter if I’m on fibre or DSL?

Boom TV can run on either. What matters is the speed that reaches your TV in the evening. Check it against the table above, and ask Telus which technology serves your address.

What speed do I need for 4K?

About 25 Mbps per 4K stream, and about 10 Mbps per HD stream. Add them together for several screens.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. It lasts 24 hours and is free. Start the trial or see the plans.