TORONTO—PomeGran, the company bringing fibre to the door on Manitoulin gave a webinar update on the progress made so far. This was the third webinar hosted by the company on its progress.
The webinar opened with remarks from Dr. Kalai S. Kalaichelvan, CEO and chairman of PomeGran, who underscored the scale and momentum of the Northern Ontario Gigabit Fibre Project. Joe Hickey, president of PomeGran followed up with a look at major company milestones, including PomeGran’s ranking number one in Telecom Services on The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies for 2025 and the launch of NIVO, the company’s new ISP brand built to deliver high-speed fibre to underserved regions.
Mr. Hickey said that the project had received 100 percent municipal consent to begin its work in various communities with 18 council and community presentations having been made—with more on the way.
“We completed 239 kilometres of aerial fibre and 16.5 kilometres of underground fibre,” he said. “We have 11 fibre hubs installed and five are live. We are now reaching the inflection point in the program where we are transitioning from the high-level design, the detailed design and survey work, to actual construction and soon connectivity.”
“We have five hubs live, ready to provide internet connectivity,” noted project lead and PomeGran director of fibre projects, Ashraf Youssef.
Presently, the status of Fibre Hub progress in Manitoulin is as follows. Gore Bay is active. Kagawong is not yet active, but is covered by the M’Chigeeng Optical Line Terminal (OLT). Central Manitoulin is not active yet, but work is in progress and activation is expected before the end of the year. Manitowaning is not yet active, but is covered by the Assiginack OLT. Little Current is not yet active, but work is in progress and completion is expected before the end of the year or mid-January. Sheshegwaning is not yet active, but is covered by the Silver Water OLT. Wiikwemkoong is not yet active, but is covered by the Assiginack OLT.
The project envisions over 2,700 kilometres of a new fibre-to-home network being constructed and some 18,600-plus homes connected—that includes 2,580 Indigenous homes across the North.
He outlines the benefits the long-term sustainability advantages of fibre infrastructure, emphasizing efficiency, durability and reduced environmental impact.
Robert Peace, community engagement and operational marketing manager then went on to discuss on the ground engagement, including local events and direct conversations with residents that helps continue to guide deployment across the region.
“Over the past three months we have approached this work with intention,” said Mr. Peace. “I will be reaching out to every community in the coming months to take our message to directly to arenas and homes, into the heart of community life.” This effort is aimed at explaining how fibre will benefit local communities.
Information on when services will be available in your area can be found at nivo.ca.
