Eastern Ontario, Canada expects to build 265 new tower sites and upgrade others to 5G by 2025, as part of a cell gap project. The Minden Ontario Times reported that 20 of the towers are expected to be completed by the end of the year. The $300 million public-private partnership project has been in the works since 2014.
The Eastern Ontario Regional Network project aims to ensure 99 percent of the area has cellular calling service, with 95 percent having sufficient coverage to run video and applications and 85 percent having the capability to stream high-definition video. Rogers Communications will contribute $150 million to the project, with municipal governments throughout the region making up the difference.
Jim Pine, community spokesperson, said, “The purpose of the project is to make sure that there’s the ability to make that ubiquitous 911 call if you need to, no matter where you are in the region, wherever you travel on major roads or other roads, and also to improve the capacity in the systems so that we can do more than just make a phone call.”
He added that 300 existing sites will be upgraded to support LTE phones and 5G – with 180 tower sites already upgraded and work on track for the remaining towers to be completed by 2023. The Times reported that of the approximately 265 new sites built over the next four years, 75 would have colocation capabilities.
“It’s important not to just build it and walk away; we want to build it and make sure it continues to provide the service that we’ve contracted for,” Pine said, in reference to service level agreements in place for five years post-construction. He added that the project would “serve as the backbone infrastructures for fixed wireless high-speed broadband services” moving forward. “It’s critical to put the infrastructure in place in order to deliver service, and frankly, you can’t fix the problem – we don’t know any technologies today that are out there that can fix a problem without putting up towers,” he said.
As the community spokesperson, Pine noted that it could take up to two-and-a-half years of planning before construction can begin. “It’s really important for us to do this right, to take the time that’s necessary to work with the communities, and so that we have their comfort in this, and it’s going to continue throughout the whole project. It’s not a ‘one and done’ effort, we have to work with the communities right through to the end of the project, and we’re certainly committed to doing that.”
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