Ontera
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | c.1902 |
| Headquarters | |
| Services | DSL,wireless broadband,dial-up,landline,long-distance calling |
| Owner | BCE Inc. |
| Parent | Bell Aliant |
| Website | ontera.ca |
Onterais atelecommunications companyinOntario,Canadaand a subsidiary ofBell Aliant.It provides local telephone service in theNorthern Ontariotowns ofBear Island,Iroquois Falls,Marten River,Moosonee,Moose FactoryandTemagami,and also offers long-distance services in most ofarea code 705.
History[edit]
Ontera was founded as theOntario Northland Telecommunicationsdivision of theOntario Northland Transportation Commission,aCrown agencyof the Government of Ontario, in 1902. It was the exclusive provider oflong-distance callingservices in many ruralNortheastern Ontariomarkets until theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) approved long-distance competition in 2000. The name was changed toO.N.Tel Inc.in the 1990s, then changed itstrading nametoO.N.Telcomin 2000, and then renamed to Ontera in 2004.[1]
Divestment[edit]
In April 2014, the Ontario government announced it would sell Ontera toBell Aliant.[2][3]According to the Public Accounts of Ontario prepared by the provincial treasury board, theCA$6.3 million sale was made at a loss of $61 million.[4]
The acquisition was completed in October 2014.[5]Bell Canada,which had been the largest shareholder in Bell Aliant and most of its predecessors throughout their respective histories, took full ownership of Bell Aliant in late 2014.
Following its divestment, Ontera did not maintain investments in network infrastructure and stopped accepting new customers.[6]The municipal council ofTemagamiapproved a resolution in September 2020 to lobby theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissionto require Ontera upgrade its infrastructure and allow third-partyresellers.[7]
Network Infrastructure[edit]
Ontera provides customer-premisesLAN,VoIPand Internet security systems,DSL,fibre opticand wirelessdataservices. The company owns and operates an extensive fibre optic telecommunications network throughout most of Northeastern Ontario.
In September 2008, Ontera announced plans to install aring network,to strengthen networkreliability,which was completed by spring 2009.[8]
References[edit]
- ^"History".About Us.Ontera.Retrieved10 June2016.
- ^"Ontera sale to Bell Aliant leaves questions for customers, employees | CBC News".
- ^"Ontario Newsroom".
- ^Brennan, Richard J. (September 30, 2015)."Provincially owned telecom firm sold at loss of almost $61 million".Toronto Star.Retrieved3 November2020.
- ^Hamilton-McCharles, Jennifer (October 1, 2014)."Bell Aliant acquires Ontera".North Bay Nugget.Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2017.RetrievedMarch 5,2016.
- ^MacDonald, Darren (3 June 2020)."Renewed push to bring high-speed internet to rural areas, including the north".CTV News Northern Ontario.Retrieved3 November2020.
Years ago, Ontera, a provincially owned corporation, provided decent access to rural areas for $25 a month. But it was sold to the private sector, which didn't invest in the infrastructure and wouldn't take on new customers.
- ^Mountain, Jamie (September 10, 2020)."Temagami looking for better internet options".BayToday.Thunder Bay, ON.Retrieved3 November2020.
- ^"Ontera customers to Benefit from Investment in State-of-the-Art-Network".Ontera press release. 2008-09-24.Retrieved2011-01-31.