- Bell Canada breaks ground on three fibre-optic projects to bring greater connectivity to more than 10,600 homes and businesses throughout the Townships of Clearview, Adjala-Tosorontio, Essa, Springwater, Oro-Medonte, Tiny, Tay, Severn, Ramara and within the Towns of Midland, Penetanguishene and Innisfil.
- Rogers Communications begins construction on a fibre-optic network in the Township of Clearview to connect more than 430 homes and businesses.
- Vianet is now offering high-speed internet service to residents living in portions of the SWIFT funded project area located in the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio.
(Simcoe, ON) August 9, 2021 – SWIFT announced today that five high-speed fibre-optic projects have begun construction in Simcoe County to expand broadband service along nearly 480 kilometres of roadway to bring improved internet access to12,250 homes and businesses.
“We are very pleased to see projects rolling out quickly across Simcoe County, with some residents already starting to be brought online,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “With five out of six awarded projects now well underway, we would like to thank the Internet Service Providers for their hard work and dedication, as we continue to work together in collaboration to increase access to high-speed broadband throughout Simcoe County and across Southwestern Ontario.”
“The pandemic has proven that access to high speed internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity for all Ontarians,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Families need internet to do their work and for school and businesses need broadband to stay connected and compete in a global marketplace. The beginning of construction on projects in Simcoe County, are important steps forward in our government’s plan to connect every community in Ontario to high speed internet by 2025.”
“Increasing access to broadband in Simcoe County has been a priority for our County Council. The pandemic further highlighted the importance of having access to reliable, high-speed internet for our residents and businesses across Simcoe County. This significant investment will provide enhanced internet services for over 12,000 of our residents and allow more rural-based business to compete in a virtual marketplace. On behalf of Council, I would like to thank the Federal and Provincial Governments for investing in this project, as well as SWIFT and our private sector providers for connecting Simcoe County,” said County of Simcoe Warden George Cornell.
Bell Canada, which was awarded funding through the SWIFT program to support the expansion of broadband service along nearly 390 kilometres of underserved roadway within Simcoe County, has now broken ground on three fibre-optic projects totaling $32 million in infrastructure investments to bring high-speed internet access to more than 10,600 homes and businesses throughout the region by June 2022.
The first project will service nearly 110 kilometres of roadway to connect a number of underserved communities and rural areas dispersed throughout the Townships of Clearview, Adjala-Tosorontio, Oro-Medonte, Essa, Springwater and within the Town of Innisfil. Once completed, the $9.3 million high-speed broadband project will deliver greater connectivity to more than 2,330 homes and businesses.
The second project will collectively expand broadband service along 100 kilometres of roadway to bring fast, reliable internet connectivity to more than 2,850 locations dispersed throughout the Townships of Oro-Medonte, Ramara and Springwater. Within Oro-Medonte, the $9.7 million project will predominately improve service in the areas surrounding Horseshoe Valley, Coulson and Moonstone. The project’s fibre footprint also covers parts of the communities in Ramara located along the Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching shoreline from Longford down to Bonnie Beach and will also service portions of the Hillsdale area in Springwater.
The third fibre-optic project will bring improved internet service to a number of underserved communities predominately in the Township of Tiny, along parts of the Georgian Bay shoreline. Pockets of serviced areas cover sections from Georgian Heights to Bluewater Beach, from Cawaja Beach to Kingswood Acres and from Baie-du-Tonnerre to Silver Birch Beach. North of Penetanguishene, service covers parts of the area from Kettle’s Beach to Petaguishene Beach and portions of areas surrounding Farlain Lake. The service area also includes sections in the Towns of Penetanguishene and Midland, as well as the Township of Tay in the Forest Harbour area and a small section in the Township of Severn. In total, the $13.1 million broadband infrastructure project will service 180 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet access to 5,430 homes and businesses.
Work is now also underway in the Township of Clearview as Rogers Communications has begun construction of a $1.8 million fibre-optic network to provide greater connectivity to more than 430 homes and businesses in and around the community of New Lowell. The high-speed fibre-to-the-home project is expected to be completed, with service fully available by March 2022.
SWIFT is also pleased to report Vianet, which began construction in November to service 74 kilometres of roadway throughout the Towns of New Tecumseth and Bradford West Gwillimbury and within the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio to bring service to 1,215 households, has started to turn-up service in portions of the project area along White Pine Trail, Sugar Maple Lane, as well as down Concession 7, Concession 8 and 5 Sideroad Adjala.
As the buildout of the $5.8 million fibre-to-the-home network continues to progress, customers in the remaining underserved project area will be brought online in a phased approach, with service expected to be fully available to all locations within the network’s fibre-footprint by March 2022.
To identify if you are located in a SWIFT funded project area, please visit our online interactive map.
Quotes:
“Rogers is pleased to be partnering with SWIFT to expand our network and provide reliable connectivity to residents and businesses in Simcoe County’s New Lowell, as part of our work towards helping close the digital divide. With construction now underway, this project is one step closer to delivering leading broadband services allowing people to stay connected to what matters most.”
– Philippe Oille, President of Southwestern Ontario Region, Rogers Communications.
“Through the hard work of our construction crews and installation teams, we are happy to announce that we have now started to activate our FTTH network in the SWIFT project area of Adjala Tosorontio. Our first customers on White Pine Trail and Sugar Maple Lane where hooked up on May 25th and we continue to install fibre into homes on a daily basis. Throughout the summer, we will continue to work as quickly as we can to get everyone hooked up to better internet.”
– Brian McCullagh, Director of Business Development, Vianet.
Additional Information:
Simcoe County Project Overview
Quick Facts:
- SWIFT, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments and private sector investors, announced a combined investment of $41.1 million to deliver high-speed internet to more than 12,700 underserved homes and businesses throughout Simcoe County.
- Five out of six SWIFT awarded high-speed fibre-optic projects in Simcoe County have now begun construction. The remaining project, which will bring greater connectivity to more than 460 homes and businesses throughout the Township of Severn, is slated to begin construction later this Fall.
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.
The project was approved for funding 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 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
