Xplore announced last week it is investing $200 million — which includes $92 million in combined federal and provincial funding via the Universal Broadband Fund — in a fibre-to-the-home network construction project in Newfoundland.
Marking the official launch of the project, Xplore said it will bring gigabit-speed internet to approximately 24,000 households across rural Newfoundland through the construction of 6,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure. Now underway, the project is targeted for completion by early 2027.
“Today marks the beginning of a major step forward in connecting rural Newfoundland with world-class Internet service,” Brent Johnston, CEO of Xplore, said in a company press release. “We’re proud to partner with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to bring fast, reliable fibre Internet to communities that have long been underserved. This investment is about more than just infrastructure — it’s about unlocking opportunity, supporting local economies, and improving everyday life for thousands of Newfoundlanders.”
This project appears to be part of a February 2023 announcement by the federal government, in which it earmarked $70 million in UBF funding, according to its UBF project website, toward Xplore’s project. An email to Xplore asking for clarification about the project funding from the federal and provincial levels of government went unanswered on Monday.
Xplore said in its press release this project builds on the company’s commitment to invest in rural and small-town Canada, with more than $1.6 billion to be invested in network upgrades over the next two years.
“Xplore’s fibre and 5G Fixed Wireless networks are designed to deliver fast, reliable Internet to communities that have traditionally been left behind,” Xplore’s press release said.
