Independent ISP CIK Telecom say it plans to provide 10-Gbps fiber internet services in the Markham area in Ontario, Canada, beginning this October 1. CIK says it has up to CAN$300 million earmarked for fiber infrastructure deployments in and around the York region in anticipation that the CRTC will lower wholesale rates and rule incumbents must refund overcharges retroactively to third-party internet providers incurred between April 2016 and the present as part of an imminent ruling on Telecom Order 2019-288.
CIK currently provides gigabit broadband via fiber to more than 40,000 condo units in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The Markham project is underway; CIK estimates that “over thousands” of Markham residents will have access to its new fiber network when the first phase of the project as early as this August.
However, CIK executives say a favorable ruling from the CRTC would make such projects more appealing. “The current internet wholesale rates in Canada are way too expensive and unreasonable, which makes it very hard for third-party internet providers to be able to compete fairly and provide affordable internet plans to Canadians,” commented Jordan Deng, CEO of CIK Telecom. “We often have to sell without profits to attract customers, which leaves us with no money to invest in upgrading or building future infrastructure. We need more support from the CRTC.”