Infrastructure Ontario (IO) has qualified 51 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to support accelerated high-speed internet expansion in the province.
The ISPs were qualified based on industry, technical and financial requirements identified in a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process that began in September 2021. Specific selection criteria for the RFQ included relevant capacity and deployment experience to deliver high-speed internet in Ontario.
Through the RFP process that is now underway, qualified ISPs that successfully proceed through the pre-auction submission phase will be invited to participate in reverse auction events. These events will provide proponents with an opportunity to bid for opportunities to deliver high-speed internet access to geographic regions of the province (referred to as “lots” or “service areas”), comprising underserved and unserved communities.
Subject to the outcomes of the post-auction due diligence and validation phase, successful proponents for the geographic lots/service areas are expected to be announced in spring 2022, upon reaching Commercial Close.
A copy of the RFP and more details about the project are available on IO’s Ontario Connects webpage.