VANCOUVER – Canadian fibre optic provider Dixon Networks is celebrating 50 years of helping Canadians connect and communicate.
The Vancouver-based company started in 1966 by connecting families in rural B.C. with basic telephone service. It now has offices in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, and counts Telus, Rogers, Shaw, Delta Cable, the Province of Ontario, Alberta SuperNet and the City of Burnaby among its customers.
“Dixon has been a quiet leader in Canada’s tech industry for fifty years,” said CEO Brian Harris. “We laid the fibre that allowed people across British Columbia to first surf the Web. Now, we’re building ultra-fast Internet capability across the country, so people in communities of every size have the same opportunities for personal, educational and business growth.”
Company milestones include:
– 1966: B.C. Tel became Dixon’s first customer and Telus continues to be a key customer today;
– 1978: Placed B.C.’s first fibre optic cable from Lone Butte to 100 Mile House;
– 1983: Introduced an unorthodox ‘turnkey’ service, providing design, engineering and construction services under one roof, an all-in-one approach that continues to set it apart in the telecom market;
– 2003: Began construction of the Alberta SuperNet, an ultra high-speed broadband network that connects 429 communities;
– 2006: Entered the renewable energy market, installing fibre optic technology at a wind farm in Saskatoon in order to maximize energy production;
– 2014: Provided the latest fibre-to-the-home technology to Hope, B.C.
Steve Sanders began as a summer intern at Dixon in 1972, went on to become CEO and now serves as Chairman.
“The company was born from a need to bring phone service to remote communities”, Sanders said. “Now we’re bringing state-of-the-art fibre optic technology. It’s always been about connecting people.”
