City officials are looking to break away from internet service providers by installing their own fibre optic cable system – something that could be made available to businesses and industry down the line.
The project, as outlined in the draft 2021 city budget documents, would connect all city facilities and comes with a five-year cost of $5.75 million, supported entirely by property taxes.
Able to transmit data at 10 times the speed currently available, a fibre optic connection would allow the city to make use of new technologies such as smart water meters and traffic sensors as well as “broader public wifi,” while reducing operating costs.
The cable also presents a potential revenue source for the city, as fibre strands could be leased to other institutions or businesses.
“This would remove the cost to the business of laying their own cabling,” explained Sasha Einwechter, the city’s general manager of information technology. “Replacing and expanding the requirements of the city’s facilities and services is the first priority; once established, the city would turn its focus to supporting other businesses.”
In introducing the draft 2021 budget to council on Tuesday, CAO Scott Stewart touted the fibre optic cable project as something that could influence new businesses and industry to set up shop in Guelph.
“That’s key,” he said. “Whatever that next generation of technology is, we want to make sure that we’re modernizing and the city is ready.
“Just imagine if you had another logistics operation like Linamar; you want to make sure that they can actually get to market and what does that look like in 2031 and beyond.”
