- Plan in place to respond quickly to access requests for communications support structures
- Partners and suppliers mobilized to drive the rollout of Internet access throughout Québec
MONTRÉAL, March 18, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Underscoring Bell's commitment to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access to everyone in Québec by September 2022 , and anticipating an increase in the volume of access requests in coming months, Bell today announced it is fully prepared to respond quickly to service providers seeking access to poles and other communications support structures.
By establishing common priorities and working closely with partners like Hydro-Québec and suppliers including engineering firms specializing in aerial structures, the measures Bell is implementing have already significantly accelerated the issuance of permits for many service providers and sped up deployment of several key projects.
"Bell has put everything in place to enable Internet service providers to connect as many Quebecers as possible to high-speed Internet as quickly as possible," said Karine Moses, Bell's Vice Chair, Québec. "I am very proud of the Bell team's collaboration with Hydro-Québec and our other partners to build a task force to meet the expected demand for access in the coming months. This is a huge project for Québec and Bell is ready to make a very significant contribution to its success."
Over the past year, Bell has deployed an action plan to simplify access to support infrastructure for telecommunications providers in Québec, particularly those receiving government subsidies to bring high-speed Internet to underserved or unserved populations, including:
- Co-creation of a coordination table with Bell, Hydro-Québec, Telus, and the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade, with a primary objective to ensure faster access to poles for all service providers while ensuring compliance with all safety standards.
- New measures to simplify common engineering standards, streamlining the process for pole access requests.
- Changes to the permit evaluation process allowing licensees to carry out their own structural surveys and work once their engineers have confirmed that safety standards are met. The vast majority of licensees are using the new process and benefiting from accelerated treatment of their requests.
- Creation of a Centre of Excellence to share best practices with service providers, improve communications through a dedicated technical and decision-making resource person assigned to projects, and provide a toll-free 1-800 line for assistance.
"The measures put in place by Bell as well as our discussions with all the partners have allowed for major progress over the last few months in order to reduce the delays in obtaining authorizations to install on Bell structures," said Robert Desmarais , General Manager of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality and Local Development Centre. "Thanks to this increased collaboration, the Brome-Missisquoi rural territory will be one of the first to be fully covered with fibre optics in Québec within a year."
About Bell
Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is Canada's largest communications company with more than 22 million residential, business and wireless customer connections across every province and territory. With a goal to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, Bell provides the most extensive broadband wireless and wireline networks, innovative mobile, TV, Internet and business communication services, and the country's premier television, radio, out of home and digital media brands. Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca .
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Caroline Audet
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caroline.audet@bell.ca
@Bell_news
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SOURCE Bell Canada
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