ROCK Networks Hosts Second Northern Ontario Gigabit Fibre Project Update Webinar

Press Release

On Friday, April 25, 2025, ROCK Networks and PomeGran hosted their second webinar in a continuing series to update stakeholders on the Northern Ontario Gigabit Fibre Project. The session provided a detailed look at the major progress made since the project’s launch.

Joe Hickey, President of ROCK Networks and PomeGran, opened the session, highlighting the transition from design to active construction across Northern Ontario. Supported by funding from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, Canada Infrastructure Bank, and Stonebridge Financial, the project aims to deliver gigabit-speed fibre Internet to more than 18,600 underserved homes, including 2,580 Indigenous households across 13 Indigenous communities.

Ashraf Youssef, Director of Program Management, shared significant milestones, including:

• 100% completion of survey and detailed design work
• 62% of permits submitted and 37% approved to date
• Deployment of critical Optical Line Terminal (OLT) cabinets in key communities, with more installations underway
• Connection of the project to Canada’s primary telecom hub at 151 Front Street in Toronto

Particularly exciting was the announcement that M’Chigeeng First Nation will be the first Indigenous community connected directly through a PomeGran-installed OLT cabinet — a historic step for the region.

Joe Hickey also addressed questions around permitting, construction timelines, private landowner access agreements, the use of 25G PON technology, and the operational scale-up to support future subscribers. The project remains on track to begin connecting homes in several communities this summer.

You can watch key highlights from the webinar in the video below:

Stay tuned for more updates on the Northern Ontario Gigabit Fibre Project.

For more information and future updates, follow ROCK Networks on LinkedIn.

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