Latest news with #cellularservice
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
First cell infrastructure upgrades to be complete this month
Social Sharing The first upgraded sites intended to expand cellular service in Nova Scotia will become operational this month, MLAs on the legislature's standing committee on community services heard on Tuesday. When the Progressive Conservative government launched the Cellular for Nova Scotia program in 2023, more than 20,000 civic addresses and 1,000 kilometres of primary roads, including parts of 100-series highways and major trunk roads, were without cellphone service. "We are striving to do 100 per cent of the province," Build Nova Scotia CEO David Benoit told reporters following the meeting. "That's the goal. Will we get there? I don't know, but we're going to try our darndest to get as close as we can to 100 per cent." Provincial report identifies dead zones across Nova Scotia Officials said $69.2 million is committed to the project to date. Benoit told MLAs that the first phase of the program will see Rogers have almost 20 of 27 existing structures upgraded by the end of this year. Meanwhile, construction on the first of 27 new provincially owned cellphone transmission towers will be complete in early 2026, with that work continuing through 2027. Most challenging areas remain to be addressed Combined, that work is expected to cover 12,300 civic addresses and 562 kilometres of roads. The final phase of the program, which is being reviewed now after a call for proposals closed, will seek to close the remaining gaps. Executive deputy minister Paul LaFleche told MLAs that that will be the most challenging part of the program. "In many areas, geography such as hills, dense forests, low-lying valleys all impact signal strength, even near existing towers," he said. Benoit and others acknowledged that there are also parts of the province with "less desirable service." In some cases, that's because federal requirements called for telecommunication companies to remove equipment manufactured in China, he said. Although this program is targeting areas with no service at all, Benoit said it's hoped that it will also improve service across the province.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Residents of C.B.N. say wildfires show need for improved rural cell coverage
Residents in the Newfoundland and Labrador town of Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove say the recent wildfire emergency should serve as the latest warning that cellular service in rural parts of the province needs to be greatly improved. Pauline White, who lives in the fire-stricken community of Adam's Cove, says she's been concerned over the lack of service in the region for years. When she was forced to evacuate this week at the height of an out-of-control wildfire, and left the wi-fi connection in her home, she says she was essentially cut off from important information and updates as a result. "We had a cell phone that we couldn't use. There was no wi-fi, no cell signal. I couldn't get a hold of any of my family to let them know that we were OK. I couldn't let anybody know about the house," she said Friday. "My phone is reading SOS," she added, referring to her phone's connection to a signal only allowing for emergency calls. Residents in that region aren't alone in their desire for a stronger signal. Those in other rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador have been calling on the province to improve signal coverage for years. Earlier this week, Bell Canada pulled out of an agreement that would have brought high-speed internet and cellular service to the north coast of Labrador. The company said the cost was too high and there were challenges in geography. Speaking with CBC News in September, former Burgeo-La Poile MHA Andrew Parsons said the province knows about the challenges residents face. White said she's heard of plans for better services for years, but says now is the time for action — especially given new political leadership both federally and provincially. "Please get us connected. It is essential," she said. "We're an hour-and-a-half outside of St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, a province in the nation of Canada, and we do not have cell service that we can rely on.… This is the 21st century. We have got to move forward." Sue Rose, a town councillor in Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove, said poor service is the number one concern she hears from tourists who visit the region each year. The town will take lessons away from their response to the wildfire, she said, including how they share information. That's a challenge with poor service, she added. "This is life and death at times," Rose said. "This is not acceptable anymore, and it's long overdue."
