Thousands of central Alberta residents will soon have faster Internet service.
The federal government announced on Wednesday $41 million will be invested in 21 projects to provide high-speed Internet access to nearly 2,700 Alberta households.
Among the biggest recipients of cash from the Universal Broadband Fund are Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations and Town of Sundre.
O’Chiese is in line for nearly $4.5 million to speed up local Internet connections and Sunchild is to receive nearly $2.7 million in a partnership with ATG Arrow Technology Group Ltd.
Sundre is in line for $1.8 million in a project undertaken by Xplornet Communications Inc.
In Red Deer County, a smaller $390,000 project by Missing Link Internet will improve service in Sunbreaker Cove at the north end of Sylvan Lake and Kayton Estates, which is located just north of the Town of Sylvan Lake.
Xplornet says it plans to connect 1,300 homes and businesses in Sundre to a “next-generation fibre-to-optic network.”
Sundre Mayor Richard Warnock said the community welcomes the communication upgrade.
“Fibre optics are essential to a community’s ability to be future-ready and provide the benefit of allowing businesses to compete in a globally interconnected economy, while raising property values and improving the quality of living for residents,” said Warnock in a statement.
The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in June 2022 when more than 100 homes and businesses can connect. The rest of the network will be completed by the end of the year.
Xplornet says it is Canada’s largest rural-focused broadband provider and plans to invest $500 million by 2025 to deploy fibre and 5G fixed wireless technology in many provinces across the country.