Telecom operator Bell will be investing $854 million in Montreal to offer broadband fibre technology to homes (FTTH) and businesses across the city.
Bell said investment will create 2,700 new jobs and $2.2 billion in economic activity. Bell aims to offer direct fibre links to 1.1 million residences and business locations.
“Our plan to connect more than a million homes and businesses here with the fastest broadband fibre technology will ensure Montreal’s place at the forefront of global Smart Cities,” said George Cope, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada.
Bell has already made investments in fibre projects in Quebec City, Toronto and other major urban centres.
Bell is partnering with a number of local suppliers, including Asplundh, Effigis Geo-Solutions, G-TEK, Infrastructel, Telecon, TCI and TRJ Telecom, to complete the project.
Bell will install more than 7,000 kilometres of fibre and upgrade 25 central offices across Montreal. More than 90 percent of Bell’s network in the city is on aerial structures already in place, which will help to speed the deployment of the new fibre links.
Bell Gigabit Fibe delivers download speeds up to a full gigabit (1000 megabits per second), meaning customers can for example download 100 photos or songs in 3 seconds, or an entire HD movie in 7 seconds.
Bell’s FTTH technology will enable the delivery of Internet access speeds of up to 10 gigabit and 40 gigabit in future.
The addition of more than a million locations in Montréal makes Québec one of the most-connected broadband jurisdictions in North America. By the end of the year, Bell fibre will reach approximately 40 percent of homes and businesses throughout Québec.
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