Newmarket resident becomes first to get fiber internet since TelMAX bought city-owned provider last fall
TelMAX has connected its first fiber optic customer since buying the City of Newmarket’s internet service provider, ENVI, last fall.
Adam Reinhardt, who lives in the Leslie Valley Drive area, called to ask about TelMAX as soon as he saw the signs around town. He happened to be the first caller and became the first customer to be connected.
“I’ve never been a first time customer before,” he said. “But I’m happy to be the first customer and support a smaller local company.”
He has been in touch since Friday and said it was “exactly what we expected and even I think more”.
TelMAX CEO Stuart Roberts visited Reinhardt’s home to celebrate the first local customer.
“It’s a really exciting day for us and we hope it will be a big day for Newmarket. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said.
The ISP is a big investment for the Stouffville-based company and requires a lot of work to physically install the fiber optic line into the ground.
However, according to Mayor John Taylor, the investment has greatly accelerated the project. He said the city launched ENVI in 2018 to become an economic engine and provide residents with faster internet. The TelMAX takeover pushed the project’s timeline back several years, he said.
That’s especially important because Taylor said there’s been a greater demand for better internet lately.
“Coincidentally, in the midst of all this, people have started working from home in droves, so the importance of fast fiber to the home is more important than ever,” he said.
He added that there has also been much discussion in the news and among Canadians about the need for choice in the sector.
“This provides Newmarket residents with an opportunity that few will experience,” Taylor said.
He was also on hand to celebrate the first customer and said it was very exciting to see this economic development and infrastructure support for the city.
“It makes it very real. We’ve been discussing and negotiating with TelMAX for some time now … so you can see this, these conversations you have around the table, about how ideas and theories become reality and bring value to the people of Newmarket.” is very exciting,” he said.
Work continues across Newmarket to install fiber optic lines and connect more customers. Roberts said after work is completed in each area, door-to-door sales teams will come to residents who want to sign up, or residents can join TelMAX at any time to become early adopters of the service.
