Fibre Expansion News

At Tbaytel, we understand that now more than ever, access to reliable Internet service is essential in our daily lives. With more of our region connected, it means more businesses can participate in the global digital economy, more students can learn and, especially at this time, more families can keep in touch with loved ones.

Lakehead Regional Municipal Coalition Fibre Project

In March of 2023 the government of Canada and province of Ontario approved funding for a joint partnership between the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre and Tbaytel to bring fibre to the Municipalities of Oliver Paipoonge, Township of Conmee, Township of O’Connor Township of Gillies, Municipality of Neebing and Municipality of Shuniah. The province of Ontario and the government of Canada provided combined funding of more than $35.7 million to provide fibre to 2,697 addresses across the Lakehead Regional Municipal Coalition area. This is a multi-year project which began in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected be completed by December of 2025.

Read the media release here.

The map below provides an overview of areas which will be included in this fibre project. Green areas are completed and fibre-ready while areas marked blue are in progress. Residents in these areas will be sent more information directly via mail regarding when they can expect fibre to their home.

Marathon & Terrace Bay

The Town of Marathon and the Township of Terrace Bay received more than $4.2 million in funding to help bring fibre services to their area. This multi-year project began in 2021 with Marathon completed in 2022 and Terrace Bay in March of 2023.

The maps below provide an overview of areas that are included. Residents in these areas can visit tbaytel.net/fibre to see what services are now available.

Rural Thunder Bay 2

In May 2021 the government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada approved funding to bring fibre to the areas of Gorevale, One Island Lake, Hawkeye Lake and Barnum Lake. The government of Canada provided nearly $3.2 million in funding to provide fibre services to 689 addresses in these areas. The project was completed in November 2021.

Read the Government of Canada's media release here

The map below provides an overview of areas that are included. Residents in these areas can visit tbaytel.net/fibre to see what services are now available.

Rural Thunder Bay

In January 2021, Ontario’s Ministry of Infrastructure approved funding for several projects that would bring fibre Internet to a number of new areas across our serving territory, including rural and semi-rural areas, which will help improve access to high-speed Internet in northern Ontario.

The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission received $2.91 million to bring fibre to more than 2,300 addresses in rural Thunder Bay, including the areas of Alice Avenue, Belrose Road, Broad Oaks Drive, Mount Forest Boulevard, Highway 61, Loch Lomond Road and Government Road.

With more of our region connected, it means more businesses can participate in the global digital economy, more students can learn and, especially at this time, more families can keep in touch with loved ones.

Read the Ontario Government's media release here

The map below provides an overview of areas that are included. Residents in these areas can visit tbaytel.net/fibre to see what services are now available.

Oliver Paipoonge

In January 2021, Ontario’s Ministry of Infrastructure approved funding for several projects that would bring fibre Internet to a number of new areas across our serving territory, including rural and semi-rural areas, which will help improve access to high-speed Internet in northern Ontario.

The Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge received $2.34 million to bring fibre to more than 1,700 addresses in Oliver Paipoonge. The success of this application only possible through the strong partnership formed between Tbaytel and the Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, who worked closely together on this project.

The map below provides an overview of areas which will be included in this fibre project. Green areas are completed and fibre-ready while areas marked blue are in progress. Residents in these areas will be sent more information directly via mail regarding when they can expect fibre to their home.

Benefits of Fibre

With Tbaytel Fibre, customers have access to unlimited data and virtually unlimited bandwidth, meaning faster speeds across all devices. Learn more about the benefits of fibre in this short video, or through the FAQ below.

Fibre frequently asked questions

What is Tbaytel Fibre?

Tbaytel Fibre - Fibre to the home technology is a dedicated Fibre connection right to your home. Instead of a traditional copper network, Tbaytel Fibre runs a system of next generation fibre optic cables throughout a neighbourhood / community. This network is connected to the existing wiring inside a home by a device called an Optical Network Terminal (ONT).

What are the benefits of Tbaytel Fibre?

In one word – Bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be moved across the Internet in a given amount of time. The higher your bandwidth, the faster your upload and download speeds. Tbaytel Fibre provides virtually unlimited bandwidth, delivering more digital information more efficiently than the traditional copper cable.

Households are expecting their Internet to be able to keep up with their activity. With Tbaytel Fibre you will have the capability to do things like video calling, HD streaming, online gaming and photo and music downloading faster than ever before.

Fibre means no more lags or slowdowns for heavy bandwidth applications. With Tbaytel Fibre, your household can connect multiple devices using the same connection simultaneously - Tbaytel Fibre is always on and it’s always superfast. What once took an hour to download can now take seconds!

Does an installer need to come to my house?

Yes. An installer will need access to the home to install the ONT (Optical Network Terminal). The ONT is typically installed in the basement. The installer will be onsite for approximately two to four hours.

What services can I get with Tbaytel Fibre?

With Tbaytel Fibre, you can subscribe to all the same services Tbaytel already offers plus additional Internet plans offering faster speeds.

How reliable is Tbaytel Fibre?

Tbaytel Fibre is best in class technology that will provide customers with greater service capabilities than traditional copper wiring or wireless Internet services, and extensive testing has been done to ensure its reliability. Simply put, Tbaytel Fibre is the future of telecommunication service in northern Ontario.

How do I know if my home is in a Tbaytel Fibre Neighbourhood?

The installation of Tbaytel Fibre in the areas above will be multi-year projects. Once the build is complete and the fibre is tested, Tbaytel will contact residents directly via mail to notify them that fibre services are available to their home.

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