By Jeff Green via Frontenac News - the original article can be found here.
North Frontenac Telephone Company (NFTC) has come a long way from its early days serving the 375 and 279 exchanges in Parham, Tichborne and Sharbot Lake with traditional telephone service.
Today, while headquartered in Etobicoke, the company remains focused on rural and small-town communities, operating fibre networks across regions such as Haliburton, Minden, and parts of Southwestern Ontario.
Just a few years ago, some of NFTC’s more remote service areas—including Crow Lake and Clarendon—experienced challenges tied to aging copper infrastructure. Those legacy systems, in place for decades, were increasingly unable to meet modern internet demands.
Since then, NFTC has made fibre expansion a central priority.
The company has now overbuilt more than 70% of its network with fibre-to-the-home infrastructure, with plans to approach 99% coverage by the end of 2026.
Duncan McGregor, who manages the region for NFTC, said the company took a different approach than many providers.
“Instead of starting in larger centres and working outward, we focused first on the areas experiencing the most issues,” he said. “That allowed us to resolve reliability concerns early and build outward from there.”
While a small number of properties—primarily remote or island locations—may remain outside practical build limits, NFTC says it continues to explore solutions to serve as many customers as possible.
Fibre optic technology represents a significant shift from traditional copper and wireless networks. Rather than transmitting data through electrical signals, fibre uses light, allowing for far greater capacity and consistency over long distances.
For customers, this translates into faster and more stable service—particularly for applications like video streaming, remote work, and cloud-based services, where upload speeds and reliability are increasingly important.
NFTC now offers symmetrical internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, meaning upload and download speeds are equal—something rarely achievable on legacy copper or many fixed wireless networks.
By comparison, some remaining copper-based services in the region may deliver speeds as low as 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload, depending on distance from network equipment.
As demand continues to grow, fibre infrastructure also provides long-term scalability. Capacity can be increased without replacing the underlying network, which is why fibre is often referred to as “future-proof” technology.
Construction activity across the region has accelerated significantly since late 2024, with major builds completed in areas such as Badour Road, the Highway 38 corridor, Fish Creek, Village Woods, and all local business districts. Additional construction is currently underway in Bell Line, Bolton Estates, Maple Grove, Fall River, and Crow Lake, with further expansion planned throughout 2026.
NFTC says it is continuing to invest heavily in these upgrades while maintaining a local presence in the community. Its Sharbot Lake office remains open, and the company continues to rely on local staff and contractors to support construction and service delivery.
“This is long-term infrastructure investment,” said McGregor, “We’re building a network that not only meets today’s needs, but supports the future of our community.”
For residents still on older copper or wireless-based services, the transition to fibre represents a meaningful upgrade in both performance and reliability—particularly as internet usage continues to increase across rural Ontario
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Residents can contact NFTC directly to check fibre availability in their area or learn more about upcoming construction timelines (Chris Varga – Local Sales Representative, can be reached at 705-313-5579 or email him at chrisv@nftctelecom.com)
