Rural Connect

Rural Connect connects underserved rural areas of Nova Scotia including Annapolis, Hants, Digby, Yarmouth, Queens, Lunenburg, Shelburne and Kings Counties to the Internet for email, general web browsing, access to Government Services, social media, and some video services.

Our goal is to ensure that all customers have fair and equal access to this shared Internet service. For that reason, a monthly allowable usage is applied to this service.

Rural Connect

.95
/month

Additional Monthly Usage: $2 per GB, to a maximum of $20

Available in certain rural areas including Annapolis, Hants, Digby, Yarmouth, Queen, Lunenburg, Shelburne, and Kings Counties.

15 GB monthly Included Usage
1.5 Mbps download, 500 Kbps upload^*
Not designed to be used for video streaming such as Nettflix

Rural Connect 10

.95
/month

Additional Monthly Usage: $2 per GB, to a maximum of $20

Available in specifc areas of Southern Nova Scotia.

150 GB monthly Included Usage
10 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload^*

Click to learn more about data usage

Upload 50 high resolution (2 MB) photos to your Facebook album: 0.83 GB GB
Download one 9-hour audio book: 0.25 GB
Download a 45 min TV show from iTunes (SD/HD): 0.20 GB/0.60 GB
Visiting 500 standard web pages over 1 month: 1.35 GB
Send 50 emails (with attachments): 0.83 GB
1 hour VoIP (Skype) Voice Only / HD Video: 2.5 GB
Play 10 hours of online games (Xbox, Playstation, etc.): 0.30 GB
Download New / Update game: ~0.1 - 10 GB
Stream 1 hour of YouTube Video in 1080p: 2.4 GB
Watch 1 hour of Netflix in SD/HD: 1 GB / 3 GB

Click for tips to help manage usage

Ensure your WiFi password is protected. This will prevent others from affecting included usage.
Install anti-virus/anti-spam software to prevent erroneous usage
Turn off video autoplay on Facebook and other sites such as YouTube, which automatically play video.
You can manage Netflix Bandwidth Usage by changing the video quality settings to Low or Medium to consume less data.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not a Rural Broadband customer, does this monthly usage allowance impact me?: No.
What is Internet usage?: Internet Usage is the total amount of data sent and received by all devices connected to the Internet in your home. Data is transferred with all your regular Internet activities, such as surfing the web, and sending emails.
What is Included Usage?: Included usage is the amount of data transfer per month, measured in gigabytes or GB’s, an internet service provider includes in your internet plan. For Rural Connect customers the Included Usage is 15 GB.
What is my usage period?: As of November 2016, your Internet Data Plan usage period is aligned with your normal Eastlink monthly statement billing period. For example, if your monthly statement date is December 10th, your Data Plan usage period is from November 6th to December 5th.
How can I monitor my usage?: To monitor your data use more closely, please login to My Account and click on Data Usage Details within the Dashboard tab.
What happens if I reach the $20 maximum monthly charge? Will my service be cut off?: No. You can continue to use the Rural Connect service as normal.
When will I be billed for additional usage?: You will be billed for additional usage on the statement after your usage period.
How will additional usage charges appear on my monthly statement?: Additional usage will appear as “Internet Usage” under the Internet Services section of your monthly statement.
What is the maximum I can be charged for going over my included usage?: Eastlink is implementing a maximum overage charge of $20/month for those that exceed their 15 GB Usage amount.
Can I carry over my usage from this month to the next?: No. Your usage allowance applies to each billing period, and is reset each billing period month.
Will an unlimited purchase option be available?: No, an unlimited service would conflict with the purpose of monthly usage, which is to help congested areas in an effort to give Rural Connect customers a better overall experience.
Why am I not being charged for additional usage on my monthly statement, when the usage tool is telling me I exceeded my allowance?: Your monthly statement includes any additional usage charges from your previous billing period month of service. If you have exceeded the included usage amount in a billing period, it does not get billed until the following period. The usage tool allows you to get a good understanding of your online activity and the impact on your next month’s statement.
I am a Newfoundland (or Ontario) Rural Connect customer, do these changes apply to me?: No, Rural Connect Internet Usage is only being implemented in Nova Scotia at this time.

Terms

*Speeds vary by geographic area, computer set-up, applicable network management practice or other factors.

1. Professional installation of $99.95 applies. Upload and download speeds can be affected by computer set-up, Internet traffic or other factors. Use of Eastlink Rural Connect service is subject to Eastlink's Terms & Conditions and Internet Acceptable Use Policy. Some conditions apply. All prices are before taxes.

2. Rural Connect Internet utilizes technology which delivers a shared internet experience. In an effort to promote fair and equal access to the service for all users, Eastlink has established a Rural Connect Internet Traffic Management Policy to manage excessive usage as a result of Peer to Peer Traffic or Streaming Video Applications. Customers using these applications will experience maximum speeds of 128 kbps download and 80 kbps upload for Peer to Peer Traffic and 500 kbps download and 500 kbps upload for Streaming Video Applications. For more information related to our traffic management policy, please refer to our Rural Connect Acceptable Use Policy.