5G Fixed Wireless Access Solution will Bring High-Performance Internet & Cell Services to the Holland Marsh

CENGN announces an innovative project that will bring high-performance broadband access to the Holland Marsh area of Ontario, which straddles the boundary between the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and King Township. This project is part of CENGN’s Rural Ontario Residential Broadband program. It will serve as a model for extending high-performance internet access services into areas with wide, deep, and sparsely-treed valley communities across the province.

Rogers Selected to Provide Broadband Solution

Internet Service Provider, Rogers Communications, was selected to address the needs of the Holland Marsh rural area that is divided down the middle by the Holland River with the north half being in the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the south half being in King Township. Supported by CENGN program funding, Rogers will provide wireless access to up to 480 homes. Using multi-Gbps E-band microwave radio backhaul and 5G high capacity wireless residential distribution, the new fixed wireless internet access service will provide a range of services including 25/5 and 50/10 internet access to residents within the Holland Marsh area. This project will significantly improve both internet access services and cellular services for residents living in the Holland Marsh valley.

This project promises several benefits, including:

• 10Gbps High-Speed Backhaul Capacity for the network.
• A high-performance 5G wireless distribution network.
• Small footprint monopole towers.
• Improved 25/5 and 50/10 Mbps internet access services for residents.
• Fast network deployment timeframe, with installation starting in the summer of 2021 and full service available in the fall of 2021.

Quotes

“CENGN is pleased to work with Rogers to show how 5G fixed wireless technology can be used to provide reliable, high-speed broadband internet access for underserved rural areas like the Holland Marsh,” said Jean-Charles Fahmy, President and CEO of CENGN. “This project shows that 5G wireless solutions can be applied to cost-effectively provide both improved internet access and cellular telephone services. By supporting and documenting Rogers’s implementation of broadband internet services in the Holland Marsh area, we will gain a strong blueprint to help address the business and technological challenges of similar communities in Rural Ontario and across the province.”

“Access to reliable broadband internet is essential for all Ontarians, no matter where they live. Businesses, families, schools and hospitals in rural and Northern communities need fast connections just as much as in urban areas,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “This innovative new project will mean secure and reliable internet connectivity for the Holland Marsh area, bringing long-overdue cost-effective and high-speed solutions for those who live and work in this important farming community.”

“Now more than ever, we see the importance of broadband in underserved and unserved communities like the Holland Marsh,” said Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure.  “The digital divide is real and magnified during this COVID-19 global pandemic.  I understand this full well coming from a rural community. This investment continues to build on Ontario’s commitment to connect people and reduce the digital divide.  We are moving as fast as we can to get people the services that they need.”

“Reliable Internet is imperative to supporting our rural communities. It unlocks new opportunities for businesses and people and helps keep people connected, improving the quality of life for individuals and families,” said Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham MPP for York-Simcoe and Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs. “This initiative will connect more people in Bradford West Gwillimbury to reliable broadband and help our farmers in the Holland Marsh run their businesses.”

“The need for reliable broadband internet service in York-Simcoe is more urgent than ever before.  Families need it to connect with loved ones, small businesses need it to support their customers, and farmers need it for their agricultural operations,” said Scot Davidson, MP York-Simcoe. “This initiative will go a long way in connecting the residents of Bradford West Gwillimbury and others in the Holland Marsh. I remain committed to ensuring that all York-Simcoe residents have access to reliable internet service no matter where they live.”

“I am very pleased that our Expression of Interest was approved by CENGN to help expand broadband access in BWG to our residents, farmers and other business owners,” said BWG Mayor Rob Keffer. “Providing access to fast, reliable Internet service is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to participate and compete in our modern economy. I look forward to working with CENGN and Rogers in tackling the challenge of providing this fundamental infrastructure to the Holland Marsh area and providing this indispensable service across BWG.”

“One of the biggest concerns we hear from residents, particularly in rural areas, is the difficulty in accessing high-speed internet. That’s why we’re excited to hear that CENGN has selected Rogers to bring a high-performance internet solution to our residents and businesses in the Holland Marsh, and thanks in part to the Provincial Government’s Next Generation Network Program,” said King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini. “This project will support our agri-business farming families to innovate their smart agricultural and precision farming practices in one of only two specialty crop areas in Ontario and known as Canada’s soup and salad bowl.”

“Whether we are providing connectivity for a student accessing an online classroom or a farmer monitoring the moisture levels of crops using wireless sensors, delivering innovative solutions that connect more Canadians to reliable Home Broadband internet and Wireless services is more important than ever,” said Phil Hartling, EVP, Service Expansion at Rogers Communications. “We are proud to partner with CENGN to introduce 5G Fixed Wireless Access technology to the residents of Holland Marsh and look forward to continuing to expand the ways that we connect rural and remote communities and advance innovation in Canada.”

This project is part of the Next Generation Network Program (NGNP), an Ontario government program powered by CENGN in partnership with the Ontario Centre of Innovation, which helps Ontario companies develop and demonstrate new wired and wireless technology, products and services. Other projects in the program are focused on smart mining, smart agriculture and autonomous vehicles.

Quick Facts

• Ontario has committed $63.3 million over five years to the NGNP, which is being delivered through a partnership between CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next-Generation Networks, and the Ontario Centre of Innovation.
• This initiative aligns with Up To Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan, delivered by the Ministry of Infrastructure.
• This project is part of the Rural Ontario Residential Broadband program under the NGNP. CENGN is currently evaluating new project proposals and communities for upcoming rounds of the program.
• Broadband is a federally regulated sector, and telecommunications companies provide the services.  Ontario is working with funding partners like the Federal government, municipalities and other investors to deliver broadband to underserved and unserved communities.

Contact

Rick Penwarden
Senior Manager, Marketing
CENGN -Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks
613-963-1200 ex:329
rick.penwarden@cengn.ca

Resources

CENGN Rural Ontario Residential Broadband Program
https://www.cengn.ca/rural-ontario-broadband-program/

Rogers Communications
https://www.rogers.com/

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
https://www.townofbwg.com/

King Township
https://www.king.ca/

Next-Generation Network Program
https://www.cengn.ca/next-generation-network-program-en/

Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-economic-development-job-creation-trade

About the Author

• 

Rick is a proud member of the Canadian research and technology community, having an extensive background in tech commercialization and industry adoption of innovative technologies. Through his experience with start-up businesses and not-for-profit organizations, Rick is an outspoken advocate for the integration of technology to improve both industry outputs and society.

Over the past 5 years, Rick has managed the public relations and communications for CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks. At the centre of an organization that facilitates collaboration between tech businesses, industry leaders, academia and government, Rick champions the message that talent development and commercial growth in advanced networking technology is crucial to a thriving economy.

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