Xplornet to Bring Fibre Broadband to Sundre, Alberta

Markham, ON – As part of its ongoing commitment to connect rural Canadians to what matters most, Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada’s largest rural-focused broadband provider, is connecting over 1,300 homes and businesses in Sundre, Alberta to a next-generation fibre-to-the-premise network. Once the project is completed, Sundre residents and businesses will be able to benefit from gigabit speeds on a fibre network designed to meet their connectivity needs today and into the future.

In addition to Xplornet’s private investment, this project is partially funded through the Rapid Response Stream of the Universal Broadband Fund, a Government of Canada initiative to connect Canadians to high-speed Internet.

“We’re proud to continue investing in the province and to work with the Government of Canada to ensure that all rural Albertans can experience the benefits of fast and reliable Internet connectivity,” said Bill Macdonald, Executive Vice-President, Business Development. “This is especially important as more of the world moves online, including how we learn, work and connect with family and friends. At Xplornet, we are committed to connecting rural Albertans to what matters through this new fibre network.”

“On behalf of the Council, Administration and citizens of the Town of Sundre, we are grateful and excited to welcome a progressive company like Xplornet into our community,” said Richard Warnock, Mayor of Sundre. “Fibre optics are essential to a community's ability to be future-ready and provide the benefit of allowing businesses to compete in a globally interconnected economy, while raising property values and improving the quality of living for residents. The investment Xplornet is making, with the generous support of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, will contribute to even greater prosperity and growth in our Town. We thank the Honourable Minister of Rural Economic Development, Gudie Hutchings, along with the Minister of Tourism, Randy Boissonnault, and the Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, George Chahal, for their unwavering support. We are thankful to Xplornet for making Sundre their community of choice, and for checking off one more box in making Sundre one of the best communities in Alberta to live and play in!”

The first phase of the project is anticipated to be completed in June 2022 and enable over 100 homes and businesses to connect to the new fibre-to-the-premise network. The remaining phases of the project will be delivered over the course of 2022.

This announcement builds on Xplornet’s commitment 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 today and in the future. In addition to this network expansion in Alberta, the company already has fibre-to-the-premise projects in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In 2021, Xplornet announced the launch of Canada’s first rural standalone 5G network in New Brunswick with plans to expand to over 250 additional rural communities in 2022.

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About Xplornet Communications Inc.

Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc. is one of Canada’s leading broadband service providers. For over a decade, Xplornet has been providing innovative fixed and mobile broadband solutions to rural customers at work, home and play across Canada. Today, Xplornet offers voice and data communication services through its unique fibre, wireless and satellite network that connects Canadians to what matters.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Johanne Senécal

Vice-President, Government Relations and Public Affairs

Xplornet Communications Inc.

[email protected]