MON, JANUARY 30, 2017 @ 8:00 PM
e-Novations ComNet Inc., the City of Fredericton’s telecommunications company, has signed a long-term agreement with F6 Networks. Through the 10-year agreement, F6 will now operate, manage and grow the GoFred Fiber Network, networking services and commercial internet business.
The agreement came about after F6 successfully responded to a request for proposals from e-Novations. As the sole shareholder, Fredericton City Council gave e-Novations authorization to enter into the agreement in November 2016.
e-Novations President Maurice Gallant says this agreement benefits the City and GoFred customers.
“Our customer base is growing and their needs are increasingly complex,” said Gallant. “F6 has the staff and expertise to allow us to continue to grow the customer base and provide the highest-calibre of service at the lowest cost.”
The City created e-Novations in 2001 to lower bandwidth costs in Fredericton and positively impact economic development. As the network and customer base has grown, e-Novations has had to increasingly rely on private-sector partners to deliver service.
Gallant says this agreement fits strategically with the long-term vision for e-Novations.
“e-Novations was created to fill a gap that was left by the private sector,” he says. “To best deliver on our goal of ensuring competitive data connectivity options are available in Fredericton, this partnership was the logical next step.”
City of Fredericton Mayor Mike O’Brien says this agreement further showcases how Fredericton serves as a living lab for companies to test and develop digital products and services.
“This is another example of how the City is partnering with tech companies to deliver the best services to our community and beyond,” Mayor O’Brien says. “Companies like F6 not only create jobs in our city, they help us shine on the national and international stage as a model in innovation. This deal represents a refresh of our IT value proposition for businesses and residents, with the intent of enhancing our Smart City reputation.”
The City has seen immediate benefit from the mutually beneficial agreement, the City’s fibre network has been expanded along Prospect Street and Bishop Drive and will soon connect Hanwell to the e-Novations network as part of the agreement signed this past January. F6 Networks has also enabled the connectivity to world class cloud providers Microsoft Expressroute and Amazon Web Services Direct Connect through F6’s new peering agreements in Toronto and New York.
About e-Novations
e-Novations, is the City of Fredericton’s telecommunications company. Its fiber optic network now consists of more than 300 kms of fiber optic cable in Fredericton connecting to hundreds of end-point customers.
About F6 Networks
F6 Networks delivers Connect Solutions that enable their customers to build robust, secure, and cost-effective networks. F6 owns and operates an open-access, high-capacity fiber network that connects New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and the Northeast United States.