Toronto’s fastest broadband internet coming to new waterfront neighbourhoods

October 20, 2014, Toronto, ON— Waterfront Toronto and Beanfield Metroconnect announced today that residents and businesses in new waterfront communities will now enjoy the fastest and most economical high-speed Internet in the city.

Waterfront residents and businesses will have among the highest performance Internet services in Canada and guaranteed “among the best in the world” network services for more than a decade. Beanfield will now be providing subscribers in new waterfront communities with 500 megabit per second symmetrical Internet connections (both uploading and downloading speeds). Residents will continue to receive this enhanced unlimited fibre-to-the-home Internet service at an exclusive rate of $60.00 per month.

“Unlimited 500 megabit per second Internet service is a game-changer,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “With more than enough bandwidth to allow workers and entrepreneurs in data-intensive industries, such as film, entertainment, and industrial design to create and collaborate from the comfort of their homes, this will help us establish a new innovation hub and stimulate enduring economic growth to help Toronto remain competitive with other world-leading cities.”

Unlimited 500 megabit per second Internet service will also change how typical residential customers use the internet, with speeds fast enough to download a music album in as little as one second, an hour-long TV show in about 3 seconds, and a high definition full-length movie in less than a minute.

Broadband has become essential public infrastructure for 21st century communities and the need for faster connections delivered over more robust networks has been intensifying as the Internet has evolved and bandwidth intensive applications, such as gaming, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), and safety and security systems are becoming more common.

Ultra-Broadband high-speed service delivers a range of benefits to both residential and commercial customers, supporting Waterfront Toronto’s vision for Toronto’s waterfront: future-ready, innovative and world-class.

“We are pleased to offer Waterfront residents leading edge Internet service,” said Beanfield CEO, Dan Armstrong. “500 Mbps service is just the starting point. We also recognize the importance of providing users with a responsive, secure network and unlimited data. These are must-haves for developing next-generation apps and services, as well as for facilitating world-wide collaboration, especially critical in the film and screen industries.”

In 2011, Waterfront Toronto partnered with Beanfield Metroconnect to create one of Canada’s first open-access ultra-high speed broadband community networks throughout Toronto’s new waterfront communities. Beanfield is required to ensure that the waterfront network is on par with that of the top seven networks globally in terms of wholesale price and performance for at least ten years beyond completion of the last building.

Homes and businesses in new waterfront communities will be wired with fibre and provided with affordable and unlimited internet access with speeds exponentially faster than typical North American residential networks. Beanfield will also be providing waterfront-wide Wi-Fi service in public areas.

The open-access ultra-broadband infrastructure is helping to develop these new neighbourhoods as intelligent communities and has transformed how residents and businesses receive telecommunications services, promoting economic growth and development, and enabling innovation.

Waterfront Toronto is leading the way in developing new Intelligent Communities. Together with technology partners, such as Cisco, IBM, Element Blue and others, they are collaborating to continue the development of communities where people can live, learn, work, and play in a seamless, technology-enabled environment.

In 2014, the City of Toronto was recognized as Intelligent Community of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) in New York. A key element of the City’s success was Waterfront Toronto’s catalytic approaches to employing best practices and strategies that support high-speed broadband Internet access, policies that encourage digital inclusion and foster innovation in the business, technology and education sectors.

Beanfield Metroconnect brings significant local knowledge and expertise to the project. The pioneering company builds and operates the largest private fibre-optic network in Toronto, providing telecom services to more than 400 commercial and residential buildings. It was also instrumental in helping to build the thriving technology and media hub in Toronto’s Liberty Village. In 2013, Beanfield was named Official Waterfront Communication Services Supplier for the 2015 Pan Am & Parapan Am Games. Beanfield will provide state-of-the-art network infrastructure for Games venues and throughout the Athletes Village.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.