Infrastructure

Overview of high-speed Internet coverage

• The current broadband objective calls for high-speed Internet speeds of at least 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10 Mbps upload to be available to 98% of all Canadians by 2026, and 100% by 2030.¹

• Recent data from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) shows that broadband coverage continues to improve but there remains a significant urban and rural digital divide.²

In Québec, 50/10 Mbps+ coverage grew from 90.1% in 2018 to 91.8% in 2019.

• 99.8%+ of households in large and medium-sized population centres

• 65.2% of rural households in Québec (and 45.6% across Canada)

Bell’s high-speed Internet deployment programs

• Bell invests approximately $4 billion every year – the most by any Canadian communications company – to deliver the fastest all-fibre and wireless broadband connections.

  • All-fibre deployments reach 5.5 million customer locations in Canada
  • Wireless Home Internet service currently reaches well over 400,000 homes and businesses in Ontario and Québec.
  • LTE wireless connections are now available to over 99% of Canadians, and Bell continues to improve wireless service with the deployment of 5G

Bell invests more than $800 million every year in Québec.

• Over the past five years, Bell's investments in Québec have increased the number of homes with high-speed Internet access in the territory it serves by 12%. With the planned projects, Bell's networks will cover more than 90% of the population in its territory by 2022.

• While private sector investment is a key driver of broadband deployments, there are also government programs in place to supplement private sector broadband investment in rural and remote areas where the costs to deliver high-speed Internet are extremely high.

Collaboration on government projects

• Government programs continue to help address urban and rural broadband gaps in areas where the costs to expand and improve broadband are simply too high for private investment alone.

• Government programs and their achievements involve several stages that often take a total of three to five years to complete.

• Request for proposals (RFP)
• Process to evaluate and select successful project bids
• Clarification of parameters between prime contractor(s) and successful applicant(s)
• Obtaining required permits, including municipal consents, permission for access to support structures issued after inspection, etc.
• Actual construction (depending on the complexity, this step may take more than two years)

• There are also specific requirements for access by high-speed Internet service providers to existing support structures maintained by Bell (see Access to support structures section for more details).

• As is the case for other infrastructure owners, Bell applies specific criteria to all requests for access to support structures, including poles, from other service providers that are deploying network equipment as part of high-speed Internet projects.

• Each request undergoes an on-site technical inspection
• Approximately 90% of requests are approved within required time frames, and a further 4% are approved on condition (preparatory work required)
• Only about 6% of requests are refused (due, for example, on non-compliance with construction standards)

• To better coordinate efforts and support broadband builds by all service providers, Bell announced in 2020 a series of measures that are already accelerating a significant number of projects.

Impacts of COVID-19

• Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Bell has focused on supporting our customers and communities, keeping people connected and informed and prioritizing the health and safety of the public, our customers and our thousands of team members.

• Recognizing the increased importance of broadband connections, Bell took immediate steps at the outset of the pandemic and throughout 2020 to improve broadband access in rural areas.

• In April, Bell accelerated the rollout of its Wireless Home Internet service to 137,000 more households than initially planned
• In May, Bell announced the deployment of all-fibre Internet connections for 18 communities in Québec. This deployment, in partnership with Régions branchées, made it possible to reach an additional 7,000 households and businesses
• In July, Bell doubled the speeds of our Wireless Home Internet service, improving service available to approximately 300,000 rural homes and businesses
• In September, Bell accelerated deployment of the faster Wireless Home Internet service to approximately 350,000 locations and accelerated deployment to another 80,000 homes and businesses
• In October, Bell announced new measures for faster access to infrastructure to advance rollouts by all service providers of high-speed Internet in Québec
• In December, Bell announced additional measures to accelerate deployment, including facilitation measures for established carriers and the creation of a new Centre of Excellence to improve access to support structures

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