Bell expanding pure fibre Internet access across Newfoundland and Labrador

Bell has announced the expansion of pure fibre Internet service to homes and businesses in the communities of Botwood, Burin and Marystown in Newfoundland, and North West River and Sheshatshiu in Labrador.

Part of Bell’s accelerated capital investment in national next-generation network infrastructure, the expansion program will bring all-fibre broadband access to approximately 7,000 rural locations in Newfoundland and Labrador by the end of 2021.

“Bell is proud to bring our pure fibre connections and world-leading Internet and TV services to households and commercial locations in rural communities, including Botwood, Burin and Marystown in Newfoundland, and North West River and Sheshatshiu in Labrador as part of our historic network acceleration program,” said Rizwan Jamal, President of Bell Residential and Small Business. “Bridging the digital divide is a priority for Bell as we advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world.”

Fully funded by Bell, this broadband expansion program will provide fast and high-capacity 100% fibre connections with Internet download speeds of up to 1.5 Gbps and access to leading Bell services such as Fibe TV. Earlier this year, Bell announced an additional investment of $1.7 billion in capital over the next 2 years to accelerate the rollout of its broadband fibre, 5G and rural networks and help drive Canada’s recovery from the COVID crisis.

“Bell has started connecting homes and businesses in Botwood with high-speed Internet and it is already having a positive impact on the lives of our residents,” said Mayor Scott Sceviour. “On a personal note, my daughter used to travel to her grandparent’s house to complete her schoolwork before we received high-speed Internet. This caused a lot of unnecessary mental strain on the family, and now we can put our energy on the right things. High-speed Internet will also do a lot for our business community. They can operate more efficiently and explore new ways to grow their business.”

This capital acceleration is in addition to the approximately $4 billion in capital Bell typically invests in broadband network infrastructure and expansion each year, and will significantly increase the connections in localities across Canada while creating additional employment as network construction activity speeds up.