Fibre expansion in C-K

TekSavvy Solutions has broke ground recently on a fibre-optic project to bring high-speed Internet access to more than 500 homes and businesses in Chatham-Kent.

In partnership with SWIFT (Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology), TekSavvy Solutions will construct a 27-kilometre fibre-optic network to offer Gigabit service to customers between Wallaceburg and Babys Point, to the east of Wallaceburg, Tupperville, and to the north/south of Dresden.

The $2.3 million fibre-to-the-home solution is scheduled to be completed, with service fully available, by mid 2022.

“This high-speed fibre-optic project will provide many more residents living in underserved areas of Chatham-Kent with fast, reliable Internet connectivity for years to come,” Barry Field, executive director, SWIFT, said in a media release. “Access to high-quality broadband service is essential for our small and rural communities both from a social and economic standpoint. With our partnership with TekSavvy Solutions, we will bring greater connectivity to the municipality to further support local businesses and enable communities and residents to thrive in today’s technology driven world.”

“Our residents have identified reliable rural high-speed Internet service as a top priority,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “The commitment by TekSavvy Solutions through SWIFT and with the support of Chatham-Kent Council is a model of private-public partnership for the benefit of Chatham-Kent.”

“TekSavvy is pleased to announce the start of construction and, ultimately, to bring world-class fire-optic networks to these communities”, said Charlie Burns, Chief Technology Officer at TekSavvy. In total, SWIFT has awarded TekSavvy Solutions funding to support three fibre-to-the-home projects within the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Collectively the public-private partnership will service more than 100 kilometres of underserved roadway to bring high-speed Internet service to more than 1,700 homes and businesses within the region.