Yesterday, the Ontario Government announced the first project under our Northern Ontario Residential Broadband Program, which seeks to bring connectivity to underserved Northern Ontario communities. This program is part of the Ontario Government’s Next Generation Network Program (NGNP), which is being carried out through a partnership between CENGN and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

CENGN’s mission has always been to advance global technology innovation for the prosperity of all Canadians. We are proud to be a part of a program that is focusing on bringing the benefits of broadband internet to communities facing connectivity barriers. This first project under this program sees us partnering with Vianet, the technology partner for the project, and the West Parry Sound SMART community, as the community partner.

The project uses a microwave link combined with fiber-optic technologies that will run from Parry Sound to Carling Township and promises to bring benefits to the community such as lower broadband installation costs, reduced maintenance costs, and reliable service that will be unaffected by terrain such as forests or lakes.

The communities taking part in these projects have a lot to benefit from, gaining infrastructure and innovative connectivity solutions for their residents. But just as important is the fact that these projects are designed to be a blueprint to overcome broadband accessibility issues, applicable to communities all over Northern Ontario. With a verified solution to Carling Township’s connectivity problem statement, we seek to help other communities facing the same challenges.

This initiative is important for CENGN and the Ontario government. The internet should not be viewed as a luxury. Access to reliable and speedy internet unlocks new economic potential in a region, leading to unprecedented innovation and growth. In fact, there is a direct link between higher economic output and high-speed internet, as municipalities with faster broadband saw nearly a 5% increase in start-up companies compared to ones with slower connectivity (The Next Generation Network Imperative: The Future is Now, November 2019).

The internet is not only necessary for growing the economy of a community, it has also become a requirement for social well-being. Beyond personal benefits to internet use, communities can make giant leaps in their people’s lives through harnessing the transformative influences of networking technologies like eLearning and eHealth technology.

CENGN is thrilled to be a part of this program, and we are looking forward to seeing the result of the completed project, and how it helps Carling Township and other communities.

Read the full press release here.

About the Author

CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, drives technology innovation and industry growth through our testbed, technical expertise, talent development, and partner ecosystem. Through our projects, CENGN enables small and medium Canadian Enterprises to test and validate promising technologies, removing barriers to product commercialization and accelerating market growth.

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