An offer from a 3rd party to connect us to the fibre network

[CondoOwner]

I live in condo consisting of row units (town houses). Recently we received the following letter from a company called Telecon:

"Your condo corporation has been identified by Bell Canada as the next area to undergo the network upgrade to Fibre Optics. ... Bell is offering to provide the upgrade at no cost to the Board. Telecon, as an Authorized Bell Contractor, is seeking Board approval to perform the upgrade which would provide a dedicated Fibre Optic cable to each individual unit. ..."

I called Bell and told the support person about this letter. He replied that when Bell has plans to upgrade our network from copper to fibre it will send us a letter. He also said that Bell does not outsource fibre cable installation to 3rd parties and suggested to disregard the offer.

Does anyone know about Telecon and does it really offer to upgrade the network from copper to fibre on behalf of Bell? Should we wait for a letter from Bell informing us about the upcoming upgrade of our network or should we accept this offer from Telecon? What are ramifications of that?

[BellAntgio]

Hey there @CondoOwner, thanks for your post, and welcome to the Bell Community.
Telecon is an authorized contractor of Bell Canada. That sounds like a letter seeking permission to upgrade the equipment inside/outside of the building in order for us to be able to provide Fibe service in the future. Can you share a photo of the letter received so the Community can take a closer look (be sure to hide any personal information)?
Looking forward to hearing from you.

[CondoOwner]

Hey @BellAntgio, the letter from Telecon is an e-mail. Here it is in its entirety:

"The NN units on CCC XXX has been identified by Bell Canada as the next area to undergo the network upgrade to Fibre Optics. The main benefit of this upgrade is the significantly improved internet speed of up to 1 Gbps which comes with the Fibre Optic Technology (as compared to the existing copper infrastructure which can be limited to 50 Mbps). The Fibre Optic cable also supports Television and Phone services. Telecommunication companies are slowly shifting from copper to Fibre Optic networks and Bell is offering to provide the upgrade at no cost to the Board.

Telecon, as an Authorized Bell Contractor, is seeking Board approval to perform the upgrade which would provide a dedicated Fibre Optic cable to each individual unit. There are several steps involved in the Approval and Construction process which are outlined in the attached Power Point document.

Upon completion of construction, all resident will have the opportunity to contact Bell and request the new service at their own leisure.

Please share the information packet with the Board and if there is interest in the fibre upgraded and you would like to proceed please reach back out to us.

We are happy to answer any questions that arise regarding the process e.g. scheduling, timelines, scope of work, etc.

Look forward to hearing back from you

I understand that Telecon is an authorized contractor of Bell Canada. But it is not the same as to be actually contracted by Bell Canada to install fibre cable specifically in our condo. The Bell representative with whom I spoke over the phone suggested to disregard the Telecon offer and wait for a letter from Bell and that Bell itself will upgrade our network. I want to obtain the official Bell opinion about that offer from Telecon. Thanks.

[BellNick]

Hi there @CondoOwner 
This does sound like an official letter for future work to be done, but we would like to take a closer look just to confirm and have sent you a private message.
Please check your Messages within your profile avatar in the top right corner.
Unsure how to check or send a private message? See How to send a private message

[Rebecca]

we own a 6 unit residential building in the middle of the city in Ottawa. We received numerous calls from Telecon saying we were chosen to get fibre upgrade. Its no cost to us but when I read the agreement we are to sign it talks about things like if we ever sell we "will use best efforts to cause the purchaser to deliver to Bell etc...Is this legitimate?

[AlexS]

You can call Telecon and ask them if the phone number and contract are legit.

[BellNick]

Hi there @Rebecca 
Thank you for your post and welcome to the Community.
We'd like to have this looked into and we have replied to your private message to us.
Looking forward to hearing back.

[WCC178]

Our condo corporation (39 town homes) was recently approached by CommTech offering us free connection to Bell's upgraded Fibre service in the Guelph area. We were told this would be done at no cost to us but could only be done if we allowed Commtech to trench access on our property and then bring connection into each unit. A Bell notice posted on the City of Guelph website said that free fibre upgrades would NOT involve access to homes so we're a bit confused by this offer. Can someone please DM me to discuss? 

[snowblower]

They bring the fiber to the building's outside untility entrance.  That leaves it in a state where Bell can complete the interior hook up if and when a customer places a fiber order. At least that's what they did in my neighborhood. You can ask them, and they'll tell you exactly what they are planning.  Personally, I suggest you get the fiber installed while they are passing through.

[WCC178]

Thanks for your reply, snowblower. We'd love to upgrade if we can. I am guessing the issue is because we are a townhouse complex with utility hook ups on the outside of each unit. We don't have one centralized utility hub on site... I am looking forward to Bell's response as our situation is not unique...

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Everything snowblower replied to you is correct & what you read on the Guelph web site is also correct.

Connections to the property etc. are normally at no cost to the tenant, condo board etc. Damages are also the responsibilities of the contractor, (Bell representative as well). The Condo board was approached by Bell to & was offered an alternative / upgraded service to your community. The condo board had 2 options: Y or N at no cost to the community.  They obviously chose: Y.

When Bell was authorized to make these connections to the condo property, it only gave them permission to allow you the opportunity to upgrade & improve your service.

This does not mean that there will be no charges if you choose to  connect to the Bell Fibe network. It meant there would be no construction charges to the townhouse complex.

When activated, there may or may not be a charge at this time if & when you choose or not choose to connect to the Bell Fibe network. Bell will contact you when the system is ready for connections.

You will probably be offered a one time promotion / connection deal..... take it or not take it..... but it will be a one time deal that you should seriously look at.

I took it & I have never looked back!

I do not work for Bell. The choice is yours!

[WCC178]

Thanks, WelshTerrier! I appreciate you weighing in. The board has not yet approved this. My reaching out on this forum is part of our diligence. Thanks again!

[Mark16]

Today had a phone call telling me Bell was upgrading to fibre in the neighbourhood and to press one to talk to a technician to arrange an appointment. I treated it as a scam and hung up right away

[budasha]

I have been getting the same phone call from 289-xxx-xxxx, person named O Marleau, in Welland.    I have not responded and was going to call Bell to see if it was legitimate.  I see it's not so will keep ignoring it..  

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

As you already known, this was not Bell calling. It was a fraudster trying to scam you.

Yes, you may encounter scams impersonating Bell Canada, often involving unsolicited calls, emails, texts, flyers or just showing at your door to trick you into giving away personal information or granting access to their property or devices.

Be wary of high-pressure tactics, requests for personal information like addresses or banking details, and claims of needing to access your computer for an upgrade. Always verify such communications by contacting Bell directly through their official website or phone numbers found on their website, not through numbers provided on suspicious materials.
It is a never-ending battle. Scammers will try everything & anything to make you believe in them!

Never share any personal information with anyone you do not know or trust! Do not open web links or messages in emails or text messages! Hang up.

When in doubt, call Bell: 1 866 310-BELL (2355) It is far better to be safe than sorry!

Please check out the following web links that I have provide for you below:

Service provider impersonation scam - Bell

Thank you for sharing this with the Bell Community Forum.

Take care.