The telco’s chief executive officer Mirko Bibic told investors that the Bell AI Fabric continues moving from planning to execution, with construction advancing at the company’s flagship AI campus in Saskatchewan
In sum – what to know
AI infra progressing – Bell said construction is advancing on its 300MW Saskatchewan AI data center, while facilities in Winnipeg and Merritt remain on schedule.
Enterprise AI gaining momentum – Bell highlighted continued growth in AI-powered enterprise services alongside increasing activity in Bell AI Fabric.
Fiber remains a growth engine – The company reported continued FTTH subscriber growth in Canada and said Ziply Fiber is preparing for an accelerated second-half build ramp.
Canadian carrier Bell used its second-quarter earnings call to highlight continued progress on its AI infrastructure strategy, pointing to construction milestones for its AI data centers, growing enterprise AI activity and ongoing fiber deployment as key pillars of its long-term growth plan.
During the call, the telco’s chief executive officer Mirko Bibic said Bell AI Fabric continues moving from planning to execution, with construction advancing at the company’s flagship AI campus in Saskatchewan.
“Bell AI Fabric continues to move from announcement to execution. Saskatchewan remains on track with construction progressing at the 300-megawatt facility and first phase operations expected in the first half of 2027,” the executive said.
Bibic also confirmed that additional AI infrastructure projects remain on schedule. According to the company, its Winnipeg facility is expected to enter service during the second half of 2026, while Merritt Phase 2—developed with Cohere, BUZZ HPC and Hypertec—is expected to begin operations in early 2027.
Bell also provided an update on construction progress at the Saskatchewan campus, saying piling work has been completed and structural steel construction is underway.
Bibic added: “We now have approximately 335 megawatts of contracted capacity, real facilities, real construction milestones, real customer commitments, all supporting the long-term AI-powered solutions growth platform we’re building.”
Alongside infrastructure deployment, the Canadian operator said it continued to position enterprise AI as one of its primary growth platforms. Bibic said the company is combining multiple capabilities into a single enterprise offering.
“We’re bringing together cloud, cybersecurity, AI adoption, data sovereignty, connectivity, and AI infrastructure for enterprise and government customers,” he said.
Chief financial officer Curtis Millen said Bell continues to redirect capital toward AI infrastructure while maintaining discipline in its traditional telecommunications spending.
“Putting aside the highly accretive AI fabric investments, our Canadian telco capex declined year-over-year, consistent with the disciplined multiyear reduction we’ve been executing,” Millen said.
Millen also noted that Bell expects the majority of the planned capital spending for the Saskatchewan AI campus to occur during the second half of 2026.
Beyond AI infrastructure, Bell highlighted continued progress in fiber deployment. The company added more than 45,000 residential FTTH Internet subscribers in Canada during the quarter and nearly 55,000 when including Ziply Fiber in the United States.
Bell also reported that permit submissions for Ziply Fiber accelerated significantly during the second quarter and said build activity is expected to increase significantly during the second half of the year as contractor capacity, engineering work, and fiber supply continue to progress.
Bell reaffirmed its full-year guidance and said it remains focused on executing the strategy outlined at last year’s investor day, combining disciplined investment in AI infrastructure and U.S. fiber expansion with continued free cash flow generation and balance sheet improvement.
During the company’s latest invesor day, Bell Canada had projected CAD1.5 billion ($1.07 billion) in AI-related revenue by 2028, more than double current levels.
