Bell expanding fibre Internet connections in 18 rural communities in Québec

Deploying broadband access to 7,000 locations in partnership with government of Québec

MONTRÉAL, May 21, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced new projects to bring high-speed Internet to unserved regions of Québec in partnership with the Québec government's Régions branchées program. The projects announced today by Québec Minister of Economy and Innovation Pierre Fitzgibbon, will provide all-fibre Internet connections to approximately 7,000 homes, businesses and other organizations in 18 communities across Québec .

"Bell is proud to be the leader in delivering high-speed Internet to rural communities in Québec with our expanding fibre and Wireless Home Internet networks," said Karine Moses, Bell's Vice Chair Québec. "Programs like Régions branchées are critical to extending the reach of broadband networks into the most difficult to serve areas and we applaud the government of Québec on moving forward with this funding. We are pleased to work with the government to advance our shared objective to strengthen Québec's economic and social growth with expanded access to high-speed broadband connections that are proving so critical in response to COVID-19."

Bell also recently announced the acceleration of its unique Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service rollout in rural communities to bring access to approximately 137,000 more homes than anticipated by the end of April, in a direct response to the COVID-19 crisis. Delivering Internet speeds of up to 25 Megabits per second now with the potential for even faster connections in future, WHI is specifically designed to bring broadband access to homes in rural and other hard-to-reach locations.

Fully funded by Bell, WHI is currently available to several hundred thousand households across Québec and Ontario, and is expected to ultimately cover approximately 1 million homes in Québec, Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Manitoba. To learn more about WHI, please visit Bell.ca/FastInternet.

About Bell
Canada's largest communications company with more than 22 million consumer and business connections, Bell provides advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services throughout the country. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

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Caroline Audet
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@Bell_News

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SOURCE Bell Canada