Moraviantown/Thamesville, ON– July 12, 2018 – The SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT) project has taken a major step forward toward making ‘broadband for everyone’ a reality by releasing its first Request for Proposals (RFP) for fibre-construction to serve the Delaware Nation at Morviantown, a First Nation located within Chatham-Kent.
“We are pleased to be the first community served by the SWIFT network,” said Chief Denise Stonefish of Delaware Nation at Moraviantown. “Working with SWIFT to connect our community to modern fibre-optic connectivity will help support an environment of educational and economic development opportunities where our community will be able to be self-sustaining and thrive as we look toward our shared future in global communications.”
The RFP to serve the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown is the first bidding opportunity for local network construction to be released by SWIFT. Following the successful implementation of this network, SWIFT will be issuing a series of RFPs to to twenty-eight pre-qualified service providers to build the SWIFT Network across southwestern Ontario, Caledon and Niagara Region.
“We’re thrilled to take this important step toward making the SWIFT network a reality,” said Gerry Marshall, Board Chair at SWIFT. “It’s wonderful that the first part of the network will be built to serve the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, serving as an important step forward in promoting the full and equitable participation of First Nations in the digital economy and an exciting first step for SWIFT as we work to connect everyone across our region to vital modern broadband infrastructure.”
“Working with the Delaware Nation at Moraviatown to begin network construction is a fantastic first step for SWIFT,” said Geoff Hogan, Chief Executive Officer at SWIFT. “As a collective, collaborative investment initiative, we are working to connect over 3.5 million people across the region, including fourteen First Nation. Beginning the process by serving a primarily rural First Nation community represents a major step toward making our shared vision of ‘broadband for everyone’ a reality.”
For more information about the participation of the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown in the SWIFT Network, please contact Delaware Nation Councillor Sherry Huff at [email protected]
To access the RFP for the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, please visit https://swiftnetwork.bonfirehub.ca/ .
For more information about the procurement process and to stay up to date on how SWIFT will build broadband for everyone in southwestern Ontario, Caledon and Niagara Region, please visit www.swiftruralbroadband.ca and sign-up for the mailing list at www.swiftruralbroadband.ca
SWIFT is also currently requesting information from users across the region about their current Internet service. To complete the survey, please visit www.swiftruralbroadband.ca/survey.
Additionally, service providers who missed the opportunity to submit their Fibre Data locations or Tower locations, for the purpose of having this information considered when SWIFT issues RFPs, may still submit their data by contacting the RFP contact noted below.
About the SWIFT Initiative
SWIFT is a not-for-profit, collective broadband initiative that is funding the construction of an affordable, open-access, ultra high-speed fibre-optic regional broadband network for everyone in Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Region. To overcome our region’s broadband infrastructure gaps, SWIFT has developed a long-term plan to help more than 3.5 million Ontarians to connect and keep pace in a changing digital world. SWIFT membership is open to any community or organization in southwestern Ontario that needs connectivity to any of its locations. Members benefit from SWIFT’s significant procurement expertise, including aggregated demand, negotiated rates, and support in preparing RFPs for broadband services. As a buying group, SWIFT also ensures greater competition between telecom service providers which should lead to better services at lower prices in member communities.
For more information, please contact:
Media Contact – SWIFT
Melissa O’Brien
Communications Manager
[email protected]
519-914-1308
Delaware Nation Contact
Sherry Huff
Councillor, Delaware Nation Council
[email protected]
