WOODSTOCK, NB – Xplornet Communications has pledged to bring faster broadband speeds and more data to rural Canadians through a $500 million investment in its national broadband network over the next five years.
With help from the Feds’ Accelerated Investment Incentive, the rural broadband provider said Friday that it is aiming to provide 5G-ready wireless services nationally to rural Canadians by the end of next year through new investments in a fibre backbone capable of delivering speeds of at least 1Gbps.
"We have made unprecedented investments in our broadband network to offer more services to our customers. Later this year, Xplornet will double the speeds we are able to offer customers to 50 Mbps," said president and CEO Allison Lenehan, in the news release. "Then, we will fulfill our bold promise to offer 100 Mbps speeds to rural Canadians by the end of 2020."
Thanks to the federal government’s Accelerated Investment Incentive for telecommunications equipment, announced in the 2018 fall economic statement, Xplornet said that it will deploy state-of-the-art hybrid fibre wireless technology, making “effective use” of its licensed 3500 MHz spectrum.
"Xplornet is grateful to the Government of Canada for their continued support for rural broadband," added Lenehan. "These measures, combined with a significant capital investment unprecedented in our company's history, will deliver 5G services to rural Canadians on the same timeline as in Canada's largest cities."
The announcement comes on the same day that the company said that it is working to deliver 5G services to rural homes in over 300 communities in Prince Edward Island.
