Cogeco lights up their 1 gig per second internet service and are recognized as a community builder.

Private Sector 100By Staff

December 7th, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Cogeco, the cable TV provider for Burlington, has had a two week run of good news.

They were recognized as a Community Builder at the Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAA) in Toronto.

That award celebrates large businesses whose community investments have yielded the greatest social return on investment. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce thus recognized the company’s good practices and its commitment to supporting the communities of the greater Ontario region.

Cogeco Connexion’s leadership in community engagement has been highlighted on numerous occasions in recent years. “So much so, that our community focus is now part of our DNA,” said Cogeco Connexion President, Ken Smithard.

Cogeco Cable did a thoroughly profesional job of cable casting live the Gala Opening of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Mark Carr will be moving on to CBC, ABC or NBC soon - unless of course he is waiting to move to Ward 6.

Cogeco Cable  live the Gala Opening of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Host Mark Carr and Mayor Rick Goldring prepare to go on camera.

“We believe it’s a privilege and a responsibility to invest in the communities we serve. Cogeco Connexion has been part of Ontario’s and Canada’s economic landscape for nearly 60 years, contributing to key sectors of their economies. Today’s nomination by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce only confirms the importance of our organization in Ontario and reinforces our desire to exert and maintain a positive impact on the communities in which we operate,” added Mr. Smithard.

Community engagement is not a short-term commitment and with major yearly investments of
$2.5 million in Ontario alone, Cogeco Connexion continues to support numerous worthy community endeavours in the areas we serve. Through employee community engagement, direct investment, sponsorships and donations, Cogeco Connexion’s leadership team is driven by the desire to prove it’s possible to sustain economic viability while helping those in need. “And we do so while continually innovating and offering amazing experiences that are developed and delivered locally by our talented and dedicated employees,” concluded Mr. Smithard.

Beard with Cogeco mike

Parks and Recreation Manager Denise Beard tapes a program for Cogeco TV.

For over 30 years, the OBAAs have recognized and celebrated Ontario’s business success stories. As one of the most prestigious business awards in Ontario, the OBAAs recognize the achievements in innovation, entrepreneurship, integrity and hard work of businesses operating in Ontario.

Getting a prestigious award was good positive news – launching its UltraFibre 1Gig service, that will allow its customers in Oakville and Burlington to benefit from speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second is good news for their customer base.

This announcement is the result of a series of investments in infrastructure upgrades carried out by Cogeco over the past months. Starting in several areas in Burlington and Oakville, Cogeco Connexion will continue expanding its ultra-high speed offering in successive phases in the Ontario and Québec markets where it provides services.

“Today, Cogeco Connexion is making a commitment to the communities it serves, enhancing its high-speed Internet offering to help power economic growth and development for businesses and residents,” stated Ken Smithard, President, Cogeco Connexion. “As we have always made our customers’ needs the primary focus of our priorities and decision-making process, today’s announcement is also further evidence of our unwavering commitment to offering our clients an amazing experience and helping them navigate evolving technology.”

Cogeco - The Issue crew

Cogeco’s popular At Issue program features Host Mark Carr, Casey Cosgrove, Che Marville, former Burlington Mayor Walter Mulkewich and Burlington lawyer Brian Heagle

“With online entertainment usage growing exponentially, the proliferation of connected devices and increased home office broadband needs, our Internet customers’ current appetite for speed is definitely trending upward,” asserted Daniel Boisvert, Vice President, Marketing & Innovation. “Demand for ultra-high speeds represents a market with considerable potential, and we’ve chosen to respond to it. We are proud to enhance our customers’ online entertainment and to offer them a suite of ultra-high speed Internet services with our new UltraFibre 1Gig service.”

Cogeco Connexion is launching this service to prepare for the ultra-connected homes and businesses of the future, thanks to a powerful hybrid network consisting of coaxial cable (HFC) and 11,000 km of linear fibre running from Windsor, Ontario to Gaspé in Québec.

“Upgrading our current broadband network to enable speeds well beyond 1 gigabit is possible with the DOCSIS Evolution path and Cogeco Connexion Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH)/EPON technology,” explained Michel Blais, Vice President, Engineering and Operations. “As we continue to leverage our networks, we will keep pace with our customers’ needs. We will see to it that our customers have the right bandwidth speed and equipment, wireless technologies and service to optimize their online enjoyment.”

Goldring and Carr Cogeco Cable

Mayor Rick Goldring and Cogeco TV host Mark Carr prepare for a live broadcast from city hall’s Council Chamber

Cogeco now has 2,550 employees and is the third largest employer in Burlington. The company offers video, high-speed Internet, telephony, fibre-based data and voice transmission, and cloud-based applications for businesses.
They have 11,000 km of linear optical fibre between Windsor, Ontario and Gaspé, Québec

COGECO TV is operated in Quebec where there are 15 stations and 22 in Ontario, with close to 1,000 volunteers)

Cogeco is the second largest cable operator in Ontario and Québec in terms of the number of basic cable service customers served.

In the United States Cogeco operates through its subsidiary Atlantic Broadband in western Pennsylvania, south Florida, Maryland/Delaware, South Carolina and eastern Connecticut.

Through Cogeco Peer 1, Cogeco Communications Inc. provides its business customers with a suite of information technology services (colocation, network connectivity, hosting, cloud and managed services), through its 17 data centres, extensive FastFiber Network® and more than 50 points of presence in North America and Europe. Cogeco Communications Inc.’s subordinate voting shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CCA).

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3 comments to Cogeco lights up their 1 gig per second internet service and are recognized as a community builder.

  • Elaine

    I have asked a number of people that subscribe to Bell and they have nothing but complaints. Telling me they wish they had stayed with Cogeco. What we really need is a few independent companies to stop the monopoly that Bell and Cogeco have.

  • Elaine

    So when will it be possible to get a digital box that works or a week with uninterrupted service?

    • Yvonne

      The only way is too switch to Bell Fibe as we did after terrible service with Cogeco after switching to Cogeco TiVo
      No problems with other provider either and cheaper as a bundle