- EH!tel Networks completes construction on a high-speed network to bring improved internet service to residents living in the municipality of West Grey.
- Wightman Telecom completes the construction of a fibre-to-the-home network to provide high-speed internet service to many more rural homes and businesses located between the communities of Hanover and Durham.
- Xplornet Communications breaks ground on three fibre-to-the-home projects to bring high-speed internet to an additional 1,871 homes and businesses located throughout Grey County.
(Grey County, ON) April 1, 2022 – SWIFT announced today that the construction of two high-speed networks in Grey County are now complete and offering 1,040 homes and businesses within the municipality of West Grey with access to fast reliable broadband connectivity.
The regional Southwestern Ontario broadband expansion project is also pleased to report that construction has now begun on an additional three awarded fibre-to-the-home projects to collectively expand high-speed internet service to an additional 1,871 homes and businesses throughout Grey County.
“We are proud to be working with local and regional Internet Service Providers to deliver better and faster broadband connectivity to many more residents living in Grey County,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “With two networks now complete and the remaining awarded projects now underway we are pleased with the progress that is being made to further expand high-speed internet access across Grey County through the SWIFT initiative.”
“Our government has made access to high-speed internet a priority for rural Ontario, and we’re delivering on that commitment,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “New connections in Grey County will help families stay in touch, help people access supports they need, while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. It’s the type of critical infrastructure that benefits the entire community.”
“Seeing multiple SWIFT projects underway in Grey County is incredibly rewarding. By the end of this year, SWIFT projects will have connected well over 1,000 Grey County homes and businesses to reliable, high speed broadband services they rely on for education, employment, and other essential daily activities,” said Grey County Warden, Selwyn ‘Buck’ Hicks.
EH!tel Networks, in partnership with SWIFT, has completed the construction of a high-speed network to significantly expand broadband access within the municipality of West Grey. Through a combination of both fibre and wireless technologies, EH!tel Networks is now offering high-speed connectivity to 904 homes and businesses in the rural areas surrounding the communities of Habermehl, Crawford, Mulock, Allan Park and Vickers.
The service provider was also awarded funding to deploy critical broadband infrastructure to bring improved high-speed service to 1,007 homes and businesses located throughout the communities of Varney, Dromore and Holstein. EH!tel Networks, which began construction last year is now offering high-speed service to residents located in the completed portion of the project area. Construction of the remaining portion of the network build out is expected to be completed with service fully available to all locations within the funded project area by August 2022.
Wightman Telecom has now completed construction of a fibre-to-the-home network and is offering high-speed internet service to 136 homes and businesses located between the communities of Hanover and Durham, including along Grey Road 28 south of Hanover and east along part of Concession 2 Sideroad.
In partnership with SWIFT, Xplornet Communications has also now begun construction on three fibre-to-the-home projects that will collectively bring high-speed internet to 1,871 homes and businesses throughout the municipalities of Meaford, West Grey, Chatsworth and Georgian Bluffs. In total, the awarded projects will service more than 100 kilometres of underserved roadway and are forecasted to be complete with service fully available to all locations by November 2022.
For additional information on SWIFT funded projects, please visit: www.swiftruralbroadband.ca/projects.
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.
Quotes:
“Xplornet is excited to begin the final leg of construction on this project and, ultimately, to bring the vast benefits of a high-speed fibre-to-the-premise network to residents and businesses in Grey County,” said Dennis Steiger, Chief Technology Officer, Xplornet Communications Inc. “Internet connectivity fosters strong communities and this announcement builds on our five-year commitment to invest $500 million in our network so that rural Canadians can access high-speed broadband, no matter where they live.”
Additional Information:
Quick Facts:
- SWIFT, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments and private sector investors, has committed a combined investment of $16.9 million to bring high-speed internet service to more than 3,900 underserved homes and businesses in Grey County.
- In total, SWIFT has awarded 97contracts 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 54 projects in the construction phase and 21 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
