Xplornet announces rural 5G standalone network

New Brunswick-based rural broadband provider Xplornet Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it’s rolling out a rural 5G standalone network, starting with its home province and expanding over the coming months. Xplornet, which bills itself as the leading rural-focused broadband provider and the first to launch such a rural network in Canada, said in a release its 5G standalone network with fixed wireless access services will begin with New Brunswick through the next six months and expand to 250 additional rural Canadian communities during 2022. “This is a significant milestone for Xplornet and for rural Canadians. Everyone at Xplornet is proud to be making the investments that will bring the benefits of 5G technology into the homes of families who live outside Canada’s big cities,” Xplornet’s CEO Allison Lenehan said in the release. “Our rural 5G network will directly and immediately benefit customers. It will also help create employment, spur innovation and invigorate rural communities across rural Canada.” Xplornet, which acquired facilities-based rural broadband provider Swift High Speed in Manitoba earlier this month, is using Ericsson Radio technology for the network after announcing the company as its 5G tech supplier last year. Xplornet said this will help make sure its 5G network “delivers faster speeds, reduced latency, and increased connectivity.” “As a global leader in 5G, Ericsson takes great pride in our long history investing in rural broadband because we believe everyone should have equal access to the transformative experiences of the Internet,” Jeanette Irekvist, Ericsson North America’s vice president and head of customer unit Canada said in the release. Xplornet’s acquisition of Steinback, Man. headquartered Swift High Speed in early September earned it all of Swift’s 6,000-plus customers across rural southeastern Manitoba, 218 kilometres of fibre optic network, and 119 tower locations. As part of the acquisition, the financial details of which were not shared in a press release from Xplornet at the time, Swift’s ownership group is splitting off its employees and equipment and is launching a new service-based fibre optic installation business called Swift Underground -- which will operate the existing network for Xplornet and build its new fibre-to-the-home network in the region. Xplornet, which has been operating in Manitoba for a while now, said when it announced the acquisition it plans to invest $40 million to bring high-speed broadband services to over 14,000 homes in the rural southeast Manitoba region, with over 7,000 new homes having access to fibre-to-the-home, as one phase of its fibre-to-the-home and 5G rollout in the province.

Xplornet announces rural 5G standalone network

Brief | September 22, 2021

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Xplornet announces rural 5G standalone network

Brief | September 22, 2021

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