For Immediate Release
2008-06-30
Elsa Lebey, Marketing Specialist, OmniGlobe Networks, 514-693-8949 ext. 203, elebey@omniglobenet.com
REGION'S RURAL WIRELESS BROADBAND PROVIDER NAMED
The following media release was issued today by OmniGlobe Networks Inc.
OmniGlobe Networks Inc., the telecommunications company that provides cost-effective broadband Internet, satellite and cellular services to remote communities
around the globe, announces today the signing of an agreement with the City of Kingston to enhance the telecommunications infrastructure in the unserved areas
of the region.
OmniGlobe Networks 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 residents and
businesses 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).
Ideally located between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the City of Kingston is a major hub of eastern Ontario. Ranked 4th in the annual list of "Canada's best
places to live," it is considered a preferred investment destination for knowledge-based industries and for research and technology centres. The city, which
already provides broadband access to the urban parts of Kingston through their subsidiary Utilities Kingston, submitted an application for provincial funding in
partnership with Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) in an effort to improve the broadband network in the rural areas of the City of Kingston, the
County of Lennox & Addington and the County of Frontenac.
"Providing rural communities access to broadband connectivity is instrumental to the economic development of the region," explained the City of Kingston's
Acting Chief Administrative Officer, Gerard Hunt.
"The broadband initiative will have a positive impact on the residents and businesses in our area, which will ultimately benefit the entire community," added
the Manager of the KEDCO Entrepreneurship Centre, Lindsey Fair.
"We are pleased that the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) was able to provide funding through the Eastern Ontario Development Program
to help the construction of broadband infrastructure in Cloyne and Plevna so this project could come to fruition. The availability of high-speed Internet
service to these communities is critical to their economic competitiveness," stated, Anne Prichard, Executive Director, Frontenac CFDC.
OmniGlobe Networks, which is already working with several other communities in rural Ontario to reduce infrastructure gaps in the region, will deliver on its
mandate by providing a new network that will successfully deliver high speed Internet connectivity to residents and businesses throughout the Kingston area. In
partnership with Utilities Kingston, the company will be investing in the project, and will be responsible for building, operating and managing the network.
"We are very excited to work with the City of Kingston, their subsidiary Utilities Kingston and KEDCO on this project," said Dr. Jason Neale, OmniGlobe Networks'
CEO. "The introduction of broadband access will create new and exciting opportunities for local residents and businesses, which will now have access to similar
services to those readily available in urban areas."
"We are looking forward to working with OmniGlobe Networks to fulfill this important rural infrastructure initiative that is assisting us to provide broadband
services to schools in Plevna, Mountain Grove, and Cloyne. Furthermore, we couldn't have done it without the commitment and support of the Limestone District
School Board," added Jim Keech, Utilities Kingston CEO.
The network will support traditional Internet applications such as web browsing and e-mail together with advanced applications such as Voice over IP (VoIP). The
project has already commenced and subscribers will start to receive high speed Internet services during the summer under the company's service named "OmniGlobe
Broadband".
ABOUT THE RURAL BROADBAND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
The Government of Ontario is committed to building strong, sustainable rural communities. A modern, efficient and reliable telecommunications system is part of
the plan. The $10-million Rural Connections - the Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program was announced in the 2007 Ontario Budget and is targeted
toward rural municipalities in Southern Ontario that are in a high state of readiness to build and sustain broadband capability in their communities. For more
information, visit the OMAFRA website.
ABOUT OMNIGLOBE NETWORKS
Based in Montreal, Quebec, OmniGlobe Networks is a global telecommunications company that provides reliable and affordable satellite, cellular, wireless
broadband Internet and VoIP services to geographic regions around the world where terrestrial telecommunications are unavailable, unreliable or just too
expensive. OmniGlobe Networks deploys and manages Internet and value-added services such as VPN, VoIP and videoconferencing using wireless technologies to serve
communities that are located beyond the reach of conventional telecom providers. For more information, contact OmniGlobe Networks at 6600 Trans-Canada Highway,
Suite 750, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H9R-4S2; phone, 514-693-8949; email, info@omniglobenet.com; or visit
the company website.
ABOUT THE CITY OF KINGSTON
Kingston is a thriving -- and stunning -- historic city, equi-distant from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Syracuse, where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake
Ontario and the Rideau Canal (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Kingston is enjoying a building boom ($1 billion in the last five years) and boasts three new City
facilities built to meet LEED standards, a burgeoning alternative energy sector and a post-secondary community spawning cutting-edge hometown businesses. Its
117,000 neighbourly and community-minded citizens enjoy an outstanding quality-of-life enhanced by superb intellectual, recreational and creative opportunities
and supported by excellent health care facilities and an improving civic infrastructure.
ABOUT UTILITIES KINGSTON
Utilities Kingston, a department of the City of Kingston, manages water, sewer, gas, electricity, and broadband networking services for the 115,000 ratepayers
of the City of Kingston. Utilities Kingston was founded in 1904 and employs 115 people.
ABOUT THE KINGSTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) is the business development and marketing arm for the City of Kingston. KEDCO works collaboratively with
local and regional strategic partners to achieve prosperity by marketing the sustainable economic advantages of Kingston. The Corporation is instrumental in
business attraction and retention, acting as a liaison between government and business, as a liaison between compatible businesses and as a conduit for the
access of key resources.
ABOUT FRONTENAC COMMUNITY FUTURES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to stimulate community and economic development
throughout the Frontenacs. Run by a volunteer board of directors and funded by Industry Canada, the Frontenac CFDC offers free business advice, workshops and
commercial financing to entrepreneurs and those looking to start businesses in the Frontenacs. The Frontenac CFDC also provides support to initiatives that are
designed to stimulate economic development in the County of Frontenac, and business planning assistance to community organizations. For more information visit visit
the Fontenac CFDC website, or call 613-372-414.
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