High-speed internet expansion in the works, Eastlink says

Nearly 10,000 Eastlink customers in Greater Sudbury, Huron, Bruce and Lambton have faster internet speeds on the way.

Thanks to an infusion of $69 million in taxpayer dollars through the province’s Accelerated High Speed Internet Program, Eastlink is spending $125 million to bring high-speed internet to underserved or underserviced areas, including more than 3,000 homes in the Greater Sudbury area.

"As a company deeply rooted in rural Canada, we're so pleased to share news of these significant projects, particularly at a time when the need and demand has never been greater," said Jeff Gillham, CEO Eastlink, in a news release.

Steve Irvine, Eastlink’s Senior VP of Engineering and CTO, said the project will result in about 2,500 kilometres of new fibre-optic cable being laid. 

“Our team has begun the design and permitting work and looks forward to getting the physical build started,” Irvine said the news release.

Over the past 10 years, Eastlink said it has invested more than $1 billion in its fibre and mobile networks to connect hundreds of small communities from the coast of Newfoundland to the Sunshine Coast in BC.

- Sudbury.com