- Elgin County to receive $6.1 million in broadband upgrades.
- The newly announced projects will collectively service 114 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring better broadband connectivity to 1,399 households and businesses within the municipalities of Dutton Dunwich, West Elgin, Bayham and within the Township of Southwold.
(Elgin, ON) March 17, 2021 – Today Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) announced it has awarded funding to expand access to high-speed internet service to 1,399 households and businesses within Elgin County.
“SWIFT is committed to expanding broadband access throughout Southwestern Ontario,” said David Mayberry, SWIFT Board Chair. “With the infrastructure investments made today, 1,399 homes and businesses in Elgin County will soon benefit from high quality internet connectivity.”
“Elgin County Council has been involved in the SWIFT program for several terms of Council,” said Elgin County Warden Tom Marks. “We are extremely excited that the results of the RFP are now public and that we will finally see SWIFT fibre projects begin construction in Elgin in the near future. Access to fast, reliable broadband internet is critically important to Elgin County’s rural residents as they work, learn and perform important daily tasks using the internet. The announcement of these projects takes us one step closer to solving Elgin’s connectivity challenges.”
SWIFT has awarded $4.1 million in federal and provincial funding to improve high-speed internet connectivity throughout the municipalities of Dutton Dunwich, West Elgin, Bayham and within the township of Southwold. In total Elgin County will receive $6.1 million in broadband upgrades, including more than $2 million in contributions from the internet service providers.
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- EH!tel Networks will receive funding to deploy fibre-optic cabling along more than 67 kilometres of underserved roadway within the municipality of Dutton Dunwich and the Township of Southwold. The $3.2 million fibre-to-the-home network will deliver high-speed connectivity to 390 households and businesses by late 2022.
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- North Frontenac Telephone Company (NFTC) has been awarded funding to deploy fibre-optic cabling along more than 21 kilometres of underserviced roads within the municipalities of Dutton Dunwich and West Elgin. The $1.9 million fibre-to-the-home solution will deliver high-speed connectivity to 693 households and businesses by late 2022.
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- Execulink Telecom was awarded a contract to deploy fibre-optic cabling along 26 kilometres of underserved roadway within the municipality of Bayham to bring high-speed connectivity to 316 households and businesses. Construction of the $1 million fibre-to-the-home solution will be completed with services available by late 2022.
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:
“EH!tel is proud to partner with SWIFT to connect underserved communities in Elgin. The project will lead to new partnerships, stimulate economic growth, create employment, and keep families connected.”
– Antonius Peeters, President and CEO, EH!tel Networks
“Bringing reliable, lightning-fast Internet to Elgin County is another step toward ensuring all Southern Ontarians have access to the dependable connectivity they deserve. We’re thrilled about the progress we’re making in historically underserviced communities through our partnership with SWIFT.”
– Ian Stevens, President & CEO of Execulink Telecom
“Over the past five years, NFTC has been investing in Elgin County building fibre optic networks and is very pleased to be able to expand our network in partnership with SWIFT and the County. With the on-going pandemic, homeowners and businesses located in rural areas have become even more acutely aware of the importance of bridging the digital divide between rural and urban areas. For over sixty years, NFTC has provided telecommunication services to rural Ontario subscribers. We are very familiar with the challenges of providing high speed broadband services in lower populated areas and look forward to bringing fibre optic technology to even more residents in Elgin County.”
– Grant Roughley, Vice President, North Frontenac Telephone Company
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, 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
