(Chatham-Kent, ON) May 19, 2021 – SWIFT today announced that TekSavvy Solutions has broken ground on a fibre-optic project to bring high-speed internet access to more than 500 homes and businesses in Chatham-Kent.
“This high-speed fibre-optic project will provide many more residents living in underserved areas of Chatham-Kent with fast, reliable internet connectivity for years to come,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “Access to high-quality broadband service is essential for our small and rural communities both from a social and economic standpoint. With our partnership with TekSavvy Solutions we will bring greater connectivity to the municipality to further support local businesses and enable communities and residents to thrive in today’s technology driven world.”
“Our residents have identified reliable rural high-speed Internet service as a top priority,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “The commitment by TekSavvy Solutions through SWIFT and with the support of Chatham-Kent Council is a model of private-public partnership for the benefit of Chatham-Kent.”
In partnership with SWIFT, TekSavvy Solutions will construct a 27-kilometre fibre-optic network to offer Gigabit service to customers between Wallaceburg and Babys Point, to the east of Wallaceburg, Tupperville, and to the north/south of Dresden. The $2.3 million fibre-to-the-home solution is scheduled to be completed, with service fully available by mid 2022.
“TekSavvy is pleased to announce the start of construction and, ultimately, to bring world-class fire-optic networks to these communities”, says Charlie Burns, Chief Technology Officer at TekSavvy. “We look forward to continuing to work with SWIFT on these and other exciting projects, bringing the immense benefits of super-fast broadband internet to homes and businesses across southwestern Ontario.”
In total, SWIFT has awarded TekSavvy Solutions funding to support three fibre-to-the-home projects within the municipality of Chatham-Kent. Collectively the public-private partnership will service more than 100 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet service to more than 1,700 homes and businesses within the region.
TekSavvy Solutions was also awarded a contract to construct a 13-kilometre fibre-optic backbone and feeder network to provide Delaware Nation – Moravian of the Thames community with access to modern broadband infrastructure. Construction of the high-speed network is now complete and is capable of delivering internet speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second to the community.
For more information on SWIFT funded projects, including construction completion dates, please visit our approved projects page to learn more.
Quick Facts:
- Collectively, SWIFT has awarded $7.4 million in funding contributions made by its member municipalities, including investments from Chatham-Kent, to support the expansion of broadband services throughout the municipality and within Delaware Nation – Moravian of the Thames community. In total the region will receive $19.3 million in broadband upgrades, including more than $11.9 million in contributions from service providers to bring high-speed internet to more than 4,600 households and businesses within the Chatham-Kent area.
Additional Information:
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.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
