- Perth County to receive $6.6 million in broadband upgrades to support five fibre-to-the-home projects.
- The newly announced projects will collectively service 194 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring better broadband connectivity to 869 households and businesses within the municipalities of North Perth, West Perth and within the Township of Perth East.
(Perth, ON) March 16, 2021 – Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) today announced it has awarded contracts to expand high-speed fibre-optic broadband services to 869 households and businesses within Perth County.
“Expanding broadband access in Southwestern Ontario is essential to the economic recovery and long-term prosperity of our region,” said David Mayberry, SWIFT Board Chair. “Today’s newly announced high-speed networks will bring greater connectivity to 869 locations to further support social and economic development within Perth County.”
“Access to reliable broadband service in rural regions like Perth County is critical. Internet infrastructure is integral to the economic success and health of our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only further highlighted the importance of rural broadband connectivity and we are excited for this procurement announcement to bring 194 kilometers of fibre to properties across Perth County,” said Perth County Warden Jim Aitcheson.
SWIFT has awarded $3.7 million in federal and provincial funding to improve high-speed internet connectivity throughout the municipalities of North Perth, West Perth and within the Township of Perth East. In total Perth County will receive $6.6 million in broadband upgrades, including more than $2.9 million in contributions from the internet service providers.
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- Mornington Communications has been awarded funding to support three fibre-to-the-home projects. The newly awarded projects will collectively service 162 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet to 665 homes and businesses within the municipality of North Perth and throughout the Township of Perth East. The projects represent a collective total investment of $5.3 million and will be completed with service available by late 2022.
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- Tuckersmith Communications will receive funding to deploy fibre-optic cabling along more than 31 kilometres of underserviced roads within the municipality of West Perth. The $980,000 fibre-to-the-home network will deliver high-speed connectivity to 113 households and businesses by early 2022.
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- Wightman Telecom was awarded a contract to deploy fibre-optic cabling along a kilometre of underserviced roadway within the municipality of North Perth to bring high-speed connectivity to 91 households and businesses. Construction of the $274,000 fibre-to-the-home solution will be completed with services available by early 2022.
“SWIFT is proud to partner with local Internet Service Providers to expand broadband coverage in Perth County,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “With the infrastructure investments announced today, approximately 2,170 more residents in Southwestern Ontario will soon benefit from greater access to high-speed internet.”
Today’s newly announced projects are part of SWIFT’s $209 million broadband expansion plan that aims to bring better broadband access to approximately 50,000 underserved homes and businesses across Southwestern Ontario.
Quotes:
“The demand for reliable Internet has exponentially increased over this past year. Mornington is passionate about connecting local communities; the partnership with SWIFT and the Governments of Ontario and Canada means we will be able to do just that! We look forward to connecting over 660 farms, homes and businesses in the rural areas surrounding Britton, Donegal and Amulree.”
– Ken Naylor, General Manager, Mornington Communications
“Tuckersmith Communications is pleased to partner with SWIFT in Perth County. This will allow us to extend our fibre network to many underserved rural residents.”
– Bill Meyers, Board Chair, Tuckersmith Communications
Additional Information:
Perth County Project Overview
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 the total project investment to $209 million 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
