Bell, Rogers announce rural connectivity investments

Work to upgrade the wireless networks of communities in British Columbia and homes and businesses in rural Ontario is coming along according to two of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies. On Wednesday, BCE Inc. announced its services now reach more than 25,000 homes and businesses in Clarington, ON, with all-fibre high-speed internet connections, and 5,000 rural locations with its Wireless Home Internet service. Additionally, Rogers Communications Inc. announced that in the past 18 months it enhanced its wireless networks in more than 250 communities British Columbia, with plans to improve connectivity in a total of 325 communities by the end of the year. Rogers’ investment, in partnership with the provincial government, involves LTE enhancements, 5G connectivity, and covers communities such as Abbotsford, Nanaimo, and Osoyoos as well as more than 380 kilometres of highway cellular coverage, including Highway 16 ( also known as the Highway of Tears). “Since the outset of the pandemic, next generation networks have been even more critical for businesses and families, across our largest cities, to our rural, remote and Indigenous communities,” Rick Sellers, president of the British Columbia Region at Rogers, stated in a press release Wednesday. Meanwhile Bell, in its release, stated it will be increasing its total broadband coverage to approximately 98 per cent of Clarington residences and commercial locations this year. The project, fully funded by the company, will deliver direct fibre connections to approximately 5,000 additional locations in 2021, including Bowmanville, Hampton, Kendal, Leskard, Newcastle, and Orono. The company added that it will also deliver Wireless Home Internet coverage to another 1,300 rural locations. "Bringing direct fibre access and expanded wireless to our communities will increase the quality of life for many of our residents,” stated Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster in the release. “I want to thank them for the significant investments they have made and for the additional resources they will deploy throughout the rest of this year." Looking toward the future, Bell will be investing up to an additional $1.7 billion in capital over the next two years to accelerate the rollouts of its next-generation fibre, Wireless Home Internet and mobile 5G networks. “The accelerated investment is in addition to the approximately $4 billion in capital that Bell has typically invested in broadband network infrastructure and expansion each year over the last decade,” the company stated in its release. Rogers will also expedite plans to expand and enhance connectivity to a total of 750 more communities across Canada by the end of 2021, according to its release. “This builds on the company’s recent announcement to combine with Shaw to invest $6.5 billion and deliver next-generation services to more communities in Western Canada, from rural areas to dense cities, faster than either company could alone,” Rogers stated in its release. Rogers and Shaw will combine funds to create a $1 billion Rogers Rural and Indigenous Connectivity Fund for Western Canada. The company said the new network investments are part of a multi-year initiative to bring next generation wireless and wireline services to communities and businesses and improve connectivity for underserved or remote regions. Its network investments have exceeded $60 billion over the past three decades, according to its release.

Bell, Rogers announce rural connectivity investments

Brief | July 7, 2021

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Bell, Rogers announce rural connectivity investments

Brief | July 7, 2021

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