IPTV Thunder Bay

In Thunder Bay, the main fibre network belongs to a phone company the city owns. Tbaytel, the municipally owned telecom company, traces back to 1902 and is mapped as the fibre owner in 25 of the city’s 26 mapped zones. Thunder Bay had 108,843 people in the 2021 census, and the connection into your home is what decides how well live TV plays. Here’s who runs Thunder Bay’s lines, what speed streaming needs, and how to test Boom TV on your own connection first.

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Two cities, one since 1970

Thunder Bay sits on the west shore of the Lake Superior bay that shares its name. It became a city on 1 January 1970, when the cities of Fort William and Port Arthur merged with the townships of Neebing and McIntyre.

The wider census area takes in more than the city. It includes Oliver Paipoonge, Neebing, Shuniah, Conmee, O’Connor, Gillies and Fort William First Nation, and had 123,258 people in the 2021 census.

A phone company the city has owned since 1902

In 1902, Port Arthur and Fort William each set up their own municipally owned telephone systems rather than use Bell. After the two cities merged in 1970, the phone utility became a department of the new City of Thunder Bay.

In 2004 it was renamed Tbaytel and restructured as an arm’s-length corporation, still owned by the city. Today Tbaytel describes itself as municipally owned. It serves Thunder Bay and northern Ontario.

Tbaytel fibre, and a cable network that changed hands

Tbaytel began building its fibre network in 2014 and launched gigabit internet in 2018. An independent coverage map built from CRTC network-owner filings (the CRTC is Canada’s telecom regulator) splits Thunder Bay into 26 zones:

• Tbaytel fibre-to-the-home is mapped in 25 of the 26 zones. Bell fibre appears in one.
• Cable is mapped in about six in ten zones, listed under both Shaw and Rogers. Rogers completed its purchase of Shaw on 3 April 2023.
• Tbaytel also owns fixed wireless mapped in 25 zones and DSL in a smaller share, and satellite from Xplore is mapped in every zone.

These are shares of mapped zones, not homes, and the map counts network owners only. Check your own address.

Boom TV works on any home connection that meets the speeds below. Test it on your own line with the free trial. It’s an app you install and sign into, so nothing is installed on the line and nothing changes on your Tbaytel or Rogers account.

How much speed you actually need

Boom TV’s recommended speeds, per stream:

That coverage map lists Thunder Bay’s fibre at up to 8 Gbps and cable at up to 1.5 Gbps, well beyond a few streams. DSL is listed at 5 to 100 Mbps and fixed wireless at 25 to 250 Mbps, so on either of those, test your speed before relying on 4K.

Add up your screens. A 4K TV in the living room and an HD stream on a tablet in the kitchen need about 35 Mbps between them.

When a fast connection still buffers

The cause can be inside the house:

• Use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, not 2.4 GHz.
• Run Ethernet to the main TV if you can. A wired connection takes Wi-Fi out of the picture.
• Keep the router out of the basement and out of cabinets. Walls and floors cost signal.
• Count everyone on the network. Downloads and video calls share the same connection as your TV.
• Test in the evening, in the room with the TV, when everyone at home is online.

Getting set up in Thunder Bay

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

No technician, no new wiring and nothing to return.

Frequently asked questions

Does Boom TV work on Tbaytel internet?

Yes. Tbaytel fibre is mapped in 25 of Thunder Bay’s 26 zones, and Boom TV runs over it the same way it runs over cable. Boom TV doesn’t change anything on your internet account.

Is Tbaytel really owned by the city?

Yes. Tbaytel describes itself as municipally owned. It began in 1902 and became a city department after Fort William and Port Arthur merged in 1970.

I had Shaw. Who runs the cable network now?

Rogers completed its purchase of Shaw on 3 April 2023, and that coverage map lists Thunder Bay’s cable under both names. Boom TV works the same on cable or fibre.

Will it work outside the city, in Shuniah or Oliver Paipoonge?

It can, wherever your connection keeps up. Aim for about 10 Mbps per HD stream, test in the evening, and use the free trial before you pay.

What do I need for 4K?

About 25 Mbps per 4K stream, plus a device that supports 4K.

Is there a free trial?

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