• $100 million+ investment will deliver world's best Internet technology to approximately 60,000 residences and businesses
• Next generation broadband connections accelerate Oshawa's Smart City innovation
• Oshawa project part of Bell's all-fibre network expansion across the GTA/905 region

OSHAWA, ON, April 24, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced an investment of more than $100 million to bring its all-fibre optic network directly to approximately 60,000 homes and business locations throughout the City of Oshawa. Bell fibre will deliver the best Internet, TV and business communications services to Oshawa and further accelerate investment and innovation in one of Ontario's most forward-thinking and innovative urban communities.

Fully funded by Bell, the Oshawa network is part of Bell's plan to deploy all-fibre connections to an additional 1.3 million homes and businesses throughout the GTA/905 region surrounding Toronto and extending to the US border. Earlier this month, Bell turned on its all-fibre Toronto network, which is connecting more than a million locations throughout Canada's largest city.

"We welcome Bell's investment in Oshawa to provide our residents, businesses and visitors with access to truly world-class Internet connectivity," said Oshawa Mayor John Henry. "High-speed networks are a primary driver of growth and innovation, supporting Oshawa's status as a Smart City and our 5 key areas of economic growth – advanced manufacturing, energy generation, health and biosciences, multimodal transportation and logistics, and information technologies."

Powering the fastest Internet access, business connectivity solutions and advanced TV and media services, Bell's fibre to the premises (FTTP) service delivers Internet access speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) with symmetrical upload and downloads. Built for the future, FTTP is designed to ultimately deliver speeds of 40 Gbps and beyond.

"A city widely recognized for its innovative economic development initiatives, Oshawa understands the essential role advanced communications networks play in driving growth and innovation in urban centres that are evolving for the future," said George Cope, President of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada. "We appreciate the support and cooperation of the city and all our partners in ensuring Bell can rapidly deploy the world's most advanced broadband network technologies throughout the City of Oshawa."

Long renowned as the centre of Canada's automotive sector, Oshawa is now also recognized as one of the country's leaders in the health sciences, education and advanced manufacturing. Oshawa is home to leading post-secondary institutions including the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Durham College and Trent University Durham GTA, with unique research programs in IT security, adaptive technology and big data.

As an early adopter of Smart City strategies, Oshawa was selected as a Smart21 Community by the Intelligent Community Forum in recognition of its partnerships with business, education and other stakeholders. Oshawa is expected to have one of the fastest-growing economies among 15 medium-sized metropolitan areas analyzed by the Conference Board of Canada.

Building on Bell's existing fibre to the neighbourhood network and working in close cooperation with the City, Bell will employ innovative installation techniques to minimize disruption to residents and businesses throughout the FTTP deployment. Bell will also be working closely with the Oshawa Power & Utilities Commission (OPUC) as well as local contractors Telecon for fibre installation. The deployment will include more than 240 kilometres of new fibre installed underground and on several hundred Bell and OPUC poles. Residents and businesses in the city are expected to have access to all-fibre connections beginning this fall.

Canada's largest fibre network
At more than 240,000 total kilometres, Bell's fibre optic network is Canada's largest by far. Across the 4 Atlantic provinces, Québec, Ontario and Manitoba, Bell now serves more than 9.2 million homes and business locations with fibre to the neighbourhood, and over 3.7 million locations with FTTP connections – a total expected to grow to 4.5 million by the end of this year.

Bell all-fibre cities now include St. John's, Gander, Summerside, Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney, Moncton and Fredericton in Atlantic Canada, Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Saint-Jérôme and Gatineau in Québec, Cornwall, Kingston, Toronto, North Bay and Sudbury in Ontario, and Steinbach and The Pas in Manitoba. Bell unveiled its major Montréal all-fibre project in 2017 and other major new centres getting Bell FTTP will be announced in 2018.

The world's fastest Internet technology
With the Gigabit Fibe Internet service enabled by Bell FTTP, customers can download a 10 MB photo in a tenth of a second or an entire 3 GB High Definition movie in just 24 seconds, upload a 500 MB business plan to the cloud in only 4 seconds or access the latest detailed stock quotes in the blink of an eye.

Bell fibre also delivers the innovative Fibe TV service that has transformed the way Canadians watch television and made Bell the largest TV provider in the country. Fibe TV delivers superior picture quality and exclusive interactive features not available from cable, while the fibre-enabled Alt TV is a new way to watch television on multiple screens with no need for a TV set-top box or installation.

Canada's broadband leader
Founded in 1880, Bell is the country's oldest and largest telecommunications provider and continues to lead the way in Canadian communications with a strategy of unparalleled investment in broadband network and service innovation.

Bell invests more than $4 billion each year in Canada's next-generation network infrastructure, delivering world-class fibre connections to the home and business, Canada's Best National Mobile Network, and the country's largest network of 28 state-of-the-art data hosting and cloud computing centres. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media.

To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and provides significant funding for community care and access, research and workplace initiatives in every region.

To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries:

Jacqueline Michelis
613-785-1427
[email protected]
@Bell_News

Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
[email protected]

SOURCE Bell Canada

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