FibreOP is Bell Aliant's fibre to the home service, the company's next generation broadband offering.
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This broadband service currently features high speed Internet access and IPTV. The FibreOP Internet service offers the following speed options: 15 Mbit/s download and 15 Mbit/s upload (now available in a bundle with voice, voice and TV or TV only)[1], 30 Mbit/s download and 30 Mbit/s upload, 70 Mbit/s download and 30 Mbit/s upload, and 170 Mbit/s download and 30 Mbit/s upload.[2][3][4] The FibreOP television service offers: 200 SD channels, over 70 HD channels, and over 98 music channels. Bell Aliant has recently upgraded the middleware of their FibreOP TV product to Microsoft Mediaroom. FibreOP TV now gives customers access to Whole Home HD, Whole Home PVR, an extensive Video on Demand library and a Next Generation Interactive Program Guide.[5] All new FibreOP customers are provisioned on the new Mediaroom platform, while existing FibreOP TV customers will be upgraded though a progressive roll-out which is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2011. FibreOp installation can be identified by the orange tags that are attached to the fibre optic cable at each telephone poll.
FibreOP service began deployment in New Brunswick, followed by simultaneous expansions in both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and a follow-on expansion in Newfoundland and Labrador. Approximately 140,000 homes and businesses in Atlantic Canada were projected to have access to the service by the end of 2010 and 600,000 homes and businesses in the region would have access to it by the end of 2012.[3] This infrastructure project will cost Bell Aliant upwards of half a billion dollars.[3]
On July 13, 2009, Bell Aliant announced the beginning of deployment of FibreOP in New Brunswick, focusing on Fredericton and Saint John. This was the inaugural deployment of the service in Canada.[6]
On February 8, 2010, Bell Aliant announced that it would expand its FibreOP service to the following communities in New Brunswick throughout the remainder of 2010: Bathurst, Miramichi, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Grand Bay-Westfield, Moncton, Dieppe, and Riverview.[7]
In June 2011, Shediac and Miramichi were added to the list of deployment communities for FibreOp service. Installation to homes and businesses is currently rolling out.
On May 28, 2010, Bell Aliant announced the beginning of deployment of FibreOP in Nova Scotia, focusing on the following communities in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality with availability by the end of 2010: Sydney, Sydney River, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Glace Bay and New Waterford. Total cost of this deployment was projected to be $15 million.[3]
On Jan 20, 2011, Bell Aliant announced the continuation of its Nova Scotia deployment of FibreOP with service, focusing on the following communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality with availability by mid 2011: Halifax, Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, Lower Sackville, Hammonds Plains, Waverley, Timberlea, Spryfield, Bedford, Head of St. Margarets Bay, Upper Tantallon and Lake Echo. Total cost of this deployment was projected to be $55 million.[8] Although not listed, FibreOP is currently being deployed in the Fall River area, as of early November 2011.
On September 29, 2010, Bell Aliant announced the beginning of deployment of FibreOP in Prince Edward Island, focusing on availability in Charlottetown, Cornwall, Stratford and Summerside by the end of 2011.[5]
On April 7, 2011, Bell Aliant announced the deployment of FibreOP in Newfoundland and Labrador, beginning with a $22 million build-out in the city of St. John's and surrounding communities in the southern Avalon Peninsula. In addition to St. John's, FibreOP service will be made available in Conception Bay South, Mount Pearl, Goulds, Logy Bay and Paradise.