It has been confirmed that Cogeco’s Essex 3 project with SWIFT is on schedule with a completion date of September 30th 2022. Surveys and design are complete and permit submissions are underway with both the Town and the County. As you may know, Cogeco was also successful in obtaining funding via the ISED Rapid Response program to connect 1,107 homes on County Rd 50 between Cedar Beach and Klie’s Beach. This project is scheduled to be completed by March 31st 2022 with survey and designs complete and permit submissions also underway.
Many pockets of our municipality still have poor internet. Improvements are coming with SWIFT, SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology but many with still be without the fast speed internet they need. Representatives from Cogeco came to council Dec 2021 to explain how the roll out of the local SWIFT funds will work. Below is a map which shows which areas will be covered in this round of SWIFT funding with Cogeco Connexion. I have included a link the the SWIFT site which allows us to see what areas are completed in that project. Work is expected to be done by the end of 2022.
Swift Project Map:
Another option is Starlink, which is pricey and has an expensive start up cost it may be an option for some, for now. https://www.starlink.com/
Starlink is now delivering initial beta service both domestically and internationally, and will continue expansion to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.
During beta, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all.
As they launch more satellites, install more ground stations and improve our networking software, data speed, latency and uptime will improve dramatically.
SWIFT
December 21, 2020 Council hosted :
Grahame Soley and Mitchell Johnson, Cogeco Connexion Inc.
RE: Update to Council on the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology Initiative
(SWIFT) and the broadband internet Cogeco-SWIFT Project
• Power Point Presentation, find the meeting on Essex Ontario You Tube, December 21 2020 Video
