3/24/08 - The County of Perth announced that since becoming the recipient of provincial funding to deliver a broadband network capable of delivering high speed Internet services to residents and businesses in the region, it has been working diligently with OmniGlobe Networks on delivering on its mandate. OmniGlobe Networks Inc. was selected based on its successful bid to the public tender issued in October last year. The project, which is part of a $10 million Ontario government initiative awarded to 18 rural municipalities, is designed to provide affordable, accessible and reliable broadband access for public and private sectors located in rural areas and is made possible through funding provided by the Rural Connections - Ontario Municipal Broadband Partnership Program of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
The County of Perth has access to some Internet services, but to date there are still a significant number of areas in which local residents and businesses do not have such access. OmniGlobe Networks will deliver on its mandate by creating wireless "hot zones" covering areas up to 10 km from many central base stations which are linked through a wireless backhaul solution installed throughout the region. The company will be responsible for building, operating and managing the network. Jason Neale, OmniGlobe Networks' CEO noted: "We have successfully deployed several community-based Internet projects in remote regions and are excited to have been selected by Perth County to deliver our solution. We are confident that we can help the County achieve the network coverage expansion that is required to foster sustainable economic growth in the community". County of Perth Warden Ron McKay added: "Local residents and businesses have been waiting for this for a long time. The provision of adequate broadband services will have a huge impact on business retention and expansion projects in the region." The network will support a range of applications including high speed Internet access, Voice over IP (VoIP) and data services throughout the coverage area. The project has already commenced, and subscribers will start to receive high speed Internet services by the summer. The new service will be called "OmniGlobe Broadband" and the company will open its local offices in April. For more information on availability in your area, please contact George Emery, OmniGlobe Broadband's project manager at (519) 801-5975. For those residents and businesses who are new to the Internet, learning courses are being provided by the Stratford Perth Centre for Business. For more information on course dates, times and locations, please contact Carrie Schultz at 519-595-7570. Keywords: county of perth, ontario ministry of agriculture, wireless backhaul, speed internet services, perth county, rural municipalities services, sustainable economic growth, ron mckay, government initiative, hot zones, agriculture food, Wireless VOIP | 
