Xplornet plans fiber-optic network build in rural parts of Eastern Ontario

Sept. 9, 2019
Xplornet says it plans to provide more than 80,000 rural homes and businesses in rural parts of Eastern Ontario with access to better broadband services, thanks to a more than 600-km fiber network roll out.

Xplornet says it plans to provide more than 80,000 rural homes and businesses in rural parts of Eastern Ontario with access to better broadband services, thanks to a more than 600-km fiber network roll out. The Government of Canada will chip in up to CAN$16 million of the deployment’s cost. The total expected investment in the roll out, which will also feature installation of what Xplornet described as “the latest 5G-ready broadband technology,” was not disclosed.

The service provider expects to support internet services of up to 100 Mbps via the initiative, which will cover rural residents in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; the United Counties of Prescott and Russell; Lanark County; Durham Region; and Northumberland County. The project is expected to be completed in 2022. Xplornet will use a combination of fiber to the premises (FTTP) and what it called “hybrid fiber wireless” for customer connections.

"At Xplornet, we are proud to be investing in world-class fiber and wireless infrastructure to deliver faster broadband to more rural Canadians," said Allison Lenehan, president and CEO of Xplornet. "We applaud the Government of Canada for its investment in rural Canada. We are committed to connecting rural Canadians and look forward to delivering amazing broadband to existing and new customers in these regions."

The new broadband network project covers areas adjacent to Xplornet network upgrades already underway that will connect 35,000 homes and business in the counties of Hastings and Lennox and Addington.

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