MARKHAM, Ont. — Rural broadband provider Xplornet Communications announced today it is starting construction to connect 125,000 homes and businesses in Manitoba to fast and reliable Internet service, following the signing of a rural broadband expansion agreement with the Manitoba government.
“As part of this agreement, nearly 350 rural and 30 First Nation communities will benefit from increased connectivity,” reads a press release.
“Xplornet will gain access to 3,200 kilometres of dark fibre backbone from Manitoba Hydro. Xplornet is also investing to deploy an additional 1,500 kilometres of fibre optic cable and equip 224 towers with leading edge 5G-ready wireless broadband technology. This network is being designed for service speeds of 50/10 Mbps and beyond, including speeds of 1 Gbps in fibre areas,” the release says.
Construction on the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2023, according to the release.
“We are pleased to sign this agreement with the Government of Manitoba to achieve our shared goal of increased connectivity in communities across Manitoba,” said Allison Lenehan, president and CEO of Xplornet Communications, in the release. “This is an important milestone in our plan to connect rural Manitobans to fast, reliable and affordable high-speed Internet using next generation broadband technologies.”
New Brunswick-headquartered Xplornet’s roots in Manitoba date back to 2004 when it signed up its first customers in the province. In 2017, Xplornet acquired Netset Communications and established an office in Brandon, Man., which now includes the national office for its Xplornet Enterprise Solutions division.
“Additional acquisitions followed that have deepened Xplornet’s operational presence in Manitoba, including the most recent acquisition of Swift High Speed, which will accelerate Xplornet’s broadband fibre expansion in Southeast Manitoba,” the press release says.
The project announced today “is part of Xplornet’s plan to invest $500 million by 2025 to deploy state-of-the-art scalable fibre and 5G fixed wireless technology in its facilities-based network to meet the needs of rural Canadians,” the release says.
“The company already has fibre-to-the-home projects in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Xplornet is also rolling out Canada’s first rural 5G standalone network in New Brunswick and, over the course of 2022, will expand its 5G network to 250 additional rural communities across Canada.”
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Photo showing a Manitoba community supplied by Xplornet Communications.
