Rogers Investing in $300M Partnership to Expand Wireless Connectivity and Bring Choice to Eastern Ontario

Ground-breaking private-public partnership establishes vital 5G network creating jobs and economic growth

TORONTO, March 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications Inc. announced today, alongside the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, a partnership which is expected to bring reliable wireless connectivity to 99% of Eastern Ontario’s residents and businesses, bridging the cellular gap to enhance work, safety, and quality of life in the region. The initiative is part of Rogers’ ongoing commitment to expand service and improve connectivity for underserved communities, including rural and remote regions.

Rogers will invest over $150 million in this project, the largest wireless private-public partnership in Canadian history, to upgrade and expand the region’s wireless telecommunications infrastructure over five years. The federal and provincial governments are each investing $71 million to the project, with a $10 million contribution from the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus. The total investment in this project injects more than $300 million into local infrastructure.

“We are thrilled Rogers has been chosen to provide indispensable mobile connectivity to the 113 municipalities and Indigenous communities of Eastern Ontario and look forward to the deep and lasting local relationships that will be forged as we serve the region,” says Joe Natale, President and CEO of Rogers Communications. “It is exciting to be part of this partnership with government that has the potential to create more than 3,000 new jobs, as much as $420 million in local economic growth, and vital 5G infrastructure for a safer, more prosperous, and connected future.” 

The communities of Eastern Ontario are eager for more dependable cellular coverage, as they currently experience connectivity gaps across the region. Today’s announcement with Rogers, operators of Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network¹, is expected to bring mobile connectivity to virtually everyone in Eastern Ontario by 2025, eliminating “dead zones” on rural highways and improving accessibility to public and emergency services.