The City of Kawartha Lakes

Barrett Xplore Inc. (BXI), through its Xplornet brand, is pleased to announce the awarding of a contract by the City of Kawartha Lakes, to provide broadband coverage in rural areas of the City where high-speed Internet service was previously unavailable. These areas are known as the "broadband gap" areas.The project will be managed on behalf of the City by the Technology Alliance Group for Kawartha Lakes.The formal agreement between the City of Kawartha Lakes and BXI was signed on March 26th 2008.

Xplornet will use two complementary technologies to provide 100% coverage in the current broadband gap areas - fixed wireless and satellite. Both technologies deliver urban-like quality and speeds at affordable prices.

Construction of the base fixed wireless network will be completed by the summer of 2008 as scheduled. Some additional sites will be deployed in the coming months tofurther enhance andexpand coverage. Once the full network is completed, it is anticipated that 82% of the dwellings within the current broadband gap will be within the fixed wireless coverage area.

Fixed wireless does have some coverage limitations as it is a line-of-sight technology. Therefore, a small percentage of homes or businesses may not be able to receive a fixed wireless signal due to obstructions or topography. Xplornet will offer its state-of-the-art satellite broadband to residents who are unable to access the fixed wireless network.

• Fast - fixed wireless speeds can reach up to 5.0 Mbps¹ which is equivalent to 125 times faster than dial-up. Satellite service speeds reach up to 3.0 Mbps², which is equivalent to 75 times faster than dial-up.
• Affordable - fixed wireless service packages start from $29.99 per month³ and high- speed packages (1.5 Mbps or above) from $44.99 per month.⁴ Satellite service plans start from $49.99 per month⁵.
• No phone line required
• Serviced by local dealers
• Free 24/7/365 customer and technical support
• Always on, always ready
• 30-day money-back guarantee

City of Kawartha Lakes residents will also receive Xplornet promotional offers in accordance with the agreement. Details are available from local dealers or on the Special Offers page.

In the weeks ahead, periodic project updates will be available on both the City of Kawartha Lakes and Xplornet Web sites.

If you are interested in more information, you can:

• call or visit an Xplornet Authorized Dealer. Our dealer locator will provide you with driving directions to dealers in your area. Xplornet will also be expanding its dealer network in the City of Kawartha Lakes area.
• complete the no-obligation sign-up form if you would like to be referred to a dealer in your area.
• contact Lynda Rickard, Executive Director of the Technology Alliance Group for Kawartha Lakes via email at lynda.rickard@tag4kl.org, or by phone at (705) 878-9261.
• contact the Xplornet Customer Care Centre at 1-866-841-6001.

Addressing the broadband gap has been a longstanding priority of the City of Kawartha Lakes as this vital infrastructure is essential to support ongoing economic development. The business community and City residents have consistently indicated that addressing this key necessity should be a priority for civic leadership. In its 2007 budget, the Government of Ontario announced one-time funding assistance for municipalities that were in a high state of readiness to implement and sustain broadband capability under its Rural Connections ...The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program. This program is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) with support from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and the Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Thirty municipalities applied for funding under the program. The City of Kawartha Lakes was one of 18 successful applicants, due to the ongoing focus placed upon broadband and the preparatory work that had already been done both by City leaders and community organizations, particularly the Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation and the Technology Alliance Group.

The City of Kawartha Lakes will receive up to $243,378 in funding from OMAFRA. City Council has approved an investment of $550,000 which is less than the $800,000 anticipated requirement according to initial project estimates. Xplornet plans to invest $11.0 million in the City during the first five years of the project.

BXI was selected to be the partner to build and operate the network at the conclusion of a rigorous, competitive bidding process. Our submission met all mandatory provincial program requirements for this project as outlined in the program guidelines which can be obtained from the OMAFRA Web site. The BXI submission also attained the highest total point score. It is anticipated that the formal agreement will be signed shortly.

Headquartered in New Brunswick, Barrett Xplore Inc. is Canada's largest and fastest growing wireless broadband service provider. Through its two service offerings - fixed wireless and satellite - the company delivers fast, affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service on a national basis with a focus on rural, remote and suburban communities that are un-served or underserved by other providers. BXI has already successfully deployed fixed wireless in many regions of the country, covering 300 rural communities and over 350,000 homes and businesses. Combined with its satellite service, the company is already providing broadband to tens of thousands of customers across Canada.

¹5.0 Mbps refers to the fixed wireless Xtreme package. ²3.0 Mbps refers to the satellite Elite Plus package. ³$29.99 per month refers to the fixed wireless Zip package. ⁴$44.99 per month refers to the fixed wireless Zoom package. ⁵$49.99 per month refers to the satellite KaZam package.