(Oxford County, ON) September 22, 2022 – SWIFT today announced high-speed fibre-optic internet service is now available to an additional 675 homes and businesses in Oxford County.
“SWIFT is making strong progress as we continue to work together with our partners to expand broadband service in Oxford County and across Southwestern Ontario,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “Today’s announcement builds on our program’s commitment to drive greater connectivity throughout the region as we mark the completion of three high-speed fibre-optic projects in Oxford County.”
“We’re delivering on our government’s commitment to provide access to high-speed internet for rural Ontario.” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “New connections, like the ones announced today in Oxford County, will help families stay in touch and access the supports, while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. It’s this type of critical infrastructure that builds Ontario and benefits the entire community.”
As part of SWIFT’s Southwestern Ontario broadband expansion plan, awarded service provider Rogers Communications has completed construction of a fibre-to-the-home network in the Township of Blandford-Blenheim to expand broadband connectivity to 484 homes and businesses in the communities of Drumbo and Gobles.
In addition, Quadro Communications has completed construction of a fibre-optic network in the Township of Zorra to provide 87 homes and businesses in the community of Kintore with access to high-speed connectivity.
SWIFT funding recipient Execulink Telecom has also completed construction of a high-speed fibre-optic network in the Township of South-West Oxford to bring improve connectivity to 104 homes and businesses in the communities of Verschoyle and Dereham Centre.
In the Township of East Zorra-Tavistock Execulink Telecom has also broken ground on a fibre-to-the-home network to service 260 homes and businesses throughout the communities of Hickson, Strathallan, Huntingford and Willow Lake. Construction of the high-speed internet project began earlier this year and is forecasted to be complete with service fully available to all locations within the network’s coverage area by Fall 2022.
“Today’s announcement is a significant one for the 675 residents, businesses and industries that now have access to reliable high-speed internet, impacting the economy, commerce, autonomy and social connections of people in Oxford County. The SWIFT project has been a key driver of internet expansion in the County and is an example of what partners can do working together to accomplish regional goals,” said Larry Martin Warden, Oxford County.
Today’s announcement is part of SWIFT’s $268 million regional broadband expansion plan that will bring high-speed internet service to more than 63,000 homes and businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario.
For additional information on SWIFT funded projects, please visit: www.swiftruralbroadband.ca/projects
Quotes:
“The demand for reliable Internet has exponentially increased over the last couple of years. As a co-operative, Quadro Communications is passionate about connecting local communities; the partnership with SWIFT and the Governments of Ontario and Canada have allowed us to do just that. Quadro has been pleased to partner with SWIFT, and proud to bring Fibre Optic technology to over 80 farms, homes, and businesses in Kintore (Zorra County); an area considered under-served. As we know access to reliable high-speed internet is more important now than ever before. This partnership has allowed Quadro to extend our fibre optic network to many underserved rural residents throughout the communities we serve.”
– Darryl Evans, General Manager, Quadro Communications
“We are proud to now provide Fibre to more communities in Oxford County including Verschoyle and Dereham Centre, while also starting to bring it to Hickson, Stranthallan ,Huntingford, and Willow Lake. We have strong roots in Oxford County and this area is home to our head office. Our first Fibre community was Norwich in 2012 and we began offering Fibre in Tillsonburg in 2019, but we’ve been serving Oxford County in the telecom business for more than 115 years. Execulink provides the Internet speed and reliability that only Fibre can offer and the awesome customer experience that local residents and businesses deserve.”
– Ian Stevens, CEO, Execulink Telecom
Quick Facts:
- SWIFT, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments and private sector investors, has committed a combined investment of $10.2 million to bring high-speed internet service to more than 1,707underserved homes and businesses within Oxford County.
- In total, SWIFT has awarded 97 contracts to support the expansion of broadband infrastructure throughout Southwestern Ontario to bring more than 63,000 homes and businesses across the region improved access to high-speed internet. Local projects are underway, with 51projects in the construction phase and 42 projects completed.
About SWIFT
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) is a non-profit regional broadband project initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to subsidize the construction of high-speed broadband networks across Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Region.
The project was approved for funding up to $127.4 million under the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund (NBCF-SCF), a joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding program, and leverages additional funding from municipal partners and private sector investors to bring improve access to broadband services across the region.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
