- $100 million+ investment will deliver world's best Internet
technology to approximately 60,000 residences and businesses
- Next generation broadband connections accelerate Oshawa's Smart City innovation
- Oshawa project part of Bell's
all-fibre network expansion across the GTA/905 region
OSHAWA, ON, April 24, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today
announced an investment of more than $100
million to bring its all-fibre optic network directly to
approximately 60,000 homes and business locations throughout the
City of Oshawa. Bell fibre will
deliver the best Internet, TV and business communications services
to Oshawa and further accelerate
investment and innovation in one of Ontario's most forward-thinking and innovative
urban communities.
Fully funded by Bell, the Oshawa network is part of Bell's plan to
deploy all-fibre connections to an additional 1.3 million homes and
businesses throughout the GTA/905 region surrounding Toronto and extending to the US border.
Earlier this month, Bell turned on its all-fibre Toronto network, which is connecting more than
a million locations throughout Canada's largest city.
"We welcome Bell's investment in Oshawa to provide our residents, businesses
and visitors with access to truly world-class Internet
connectivity," said Oshawa Mayor
John Henry. "High-speed networks are
a primary driver of growth and innovation, supporting Oshawa's status as a Smart City and our 5 key
areas of economic growth – advanced manufacturing, energy
generation, health and biosciences, multimodal transportation and
logistics, and information technologies."
Powering the fastest Internet access, business connectivity
solutions and advanced TV and media services, Bell's fibre to the
premises (FTTP) service delivers Internet access speeds of up to 1
gigabit per second (Gbps) with symmetrical upload and downloads.
Built for the future, FTTP is designed to ultimately deliver speeds
of 40 Gbps and beyond.
"A city widely recognized for its innovative economic
development initiatives, Oshawa
understands the essential role advanced communications networks
play in driving growth and innovation in urban centres that are
evolving for the future," said George
Cope, President of BCE Inc. and Bell
Canada. "We appreciate the support and cooperation of the
city and all our partners in ensuring Bell can rapidly deploy the
world's most advanced broadband network technologies throughout the
City of Oshawa."
Long renowned as the centre of Canada's automotive sector,
Oshawa is now also recognized as
one of the country's leaders in the health sciences, education and
advanced manufacturing. Oshawa is
home to leading post-secondary institutions including the
University of Ontario Institute of
Technology (UOIT), Durham
College and Trent University Durham
GTA, with unique research programs in IT security, adaptive
technology and big data.
As an early adopter of Smart City strategies, Oshawa was selected as a Smart21 Community by
the Intelligent Community Forum in recognition of its partnerships
with business, education and other stakeholders. Oshawa is expected to have one of the
fastest-growing economies among 15 medium-sized metropolitan areas
analyzed by the Conference Board of Canada.
Building on Bell's existing fibre to the neighbourhood network
and working in close cooperation with the City, Bell will employ
innovative installation techniques to minimize disruption to
residents and businesses throughout the FTTP deployment. Bell will
also be working closely with the Oshawa Power & Utilities
Commission (OPUC) as well as local contractors Telecon for fibre
installation. The deployment will include more than 240 kilometres
of new fibre installed underground and on several hundred Bell and
OPUC poles. Residents and businesses in the city are expected to
have access to all-fibre connections beginning this fall.
Canada's largest fibre network
At more than 240,000
total kilometres, Bell's fibre optic network is Canada's largest by
far. Across the 4 Atlantic provinces, Québec, Ontario and Manitoba, Bell now serves more than 9.2
million homes and business locations with fibre to the
neighbourhood, and over 3.7 million locations with FTTP connections
– a total expected to grow to 4.5 million by the end of this
year.
Bell all-fibre cities now include St.
John's, Gander,
Summerside, Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney, Moncton and Fredericton in Atlantic Canada, Québec City, Trois-Rivières,
Saint-Jérôme and Gatineau in
Québec, Cornwall, Kingston, Toronto, North
Bay and Sudbury in
Ontario, and Steinbach and The
Pas in Manitoba. Bell
unveiled its major Montréal all-fibre project in 2017 and other
major new centres getting Bell FTTP will be announced in 2018.
The world's fastest Internet technology
With the
Gigabit Fibe Internet service enabled by Bell FTTP, customers can
download a 10 MB photo in a tenth of a second or an entire 3 GB
High Definition movie in just 24 seconds, upload a 500 MB business
plan to the cloud in only 4 seconds or access the latest detailed
stock quotes in the blink of an eye.
Bell fibre also delivers the innovative Fibe TV service that has
transformed the way Canadians watch television and made Bell the
largest TV provider in the country. Fibe TV delivers superior
picture quality and exclusive interactive features not available
from cable, while the fibre-enabled Alt TV is a new way to watch
television on multiple screens with no need for a TV set-top box or
installation.
Canada's broadband leader
Founded in 1880, Bell is the
country's oldest and largest telecommunications provider and
continues to lead the way in Canadian communications with a
strategy of unparalleled investment in broadband network and
service innovation.
Bell invests more than $4 billion
each year in Canada's next-generation network infrastructure,
delivering world-class fibre connections to the home and business,
Canada's Best National Mobile Network, and the country's largest
network of 28 state-of-the-art data hosting and cloud computing
centres. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with
leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital
media.
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health
with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's
Talk Day and provides significant funding for community care and
access, research and workplace initiatives in every region.
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries:
Jacqueline Michelis
613-785-1427
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_News
Investor inquiries:
Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca
SOURCE Bell Canada