The Town of Orangeville has announced Wightman Telecom will invest $56 million in a fiber-optic project that will deliver the infrastructure needed to provide high-speed internet throughout the entire town.
Construction will begin with the Orangeville Business Park in late 2020, with Wightman planning to bury more than 350,000 metres of fibre-optic lines throughout the town.
“Our high-speed Internet capability will advance leaps and bounds, thanks to Wightman’s multi-year project. This initiative is a huge step forward for Orangeville in our Smart City journey,” said Mayor Sandy Brown.
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“As the pandemic has made clear, digital infrastructure is a critical piece of a complete community as a tool to attract and retain business and support our residents in home life, the modern workforce or education.”
Fibre optic technology uses laser pulses of light sent through tiny strands of glass to transmit data, allowing for a significant increase in the speed at which Internet signals can be carried.
It replaces existing copper infrastructure, such as telephone wires and TV cable, with a faster, more reliable method of delivering internet, TV, and phone services.
Wightman is scheduled to begin fibre construction this fall, before moving to the residential sector next year.
The company is able to provide customers with multiple gigabit Internet speeds, high definition TV with the latest user features, and digital home phone service. It plans to open a retail location in Orangeville in 2021.
“For many years, Wightman has offered services in Orangeville and been part of the community,” said Wightman’s president and CEO Rob Figliuzzi.
“We’ve listened to our customers, and it is time for us to make the significant investment and build a vital, future-proof communications infrastructure with our Fibre to the Home and Business that will serve the community for generations to come.”