The work to improve cellular service across eastern Ontario, including Hastings County, is continuing.
Hastings County Council received an update on progress to-date on this work at its meeting on Wednesday.
Director of Communications for the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, Lisa Severson, says work is underway to improve access for many residents by improving and increasing the number of cell towers.
Severson says three new towers were added last year and work will continue this year.
She explained that the closer you are to a tower the more chance you have of “getting high definition for service.”
” … will allow you to do banking on your phone or on your tablet that’s getting its service from a cell tower or look up emails and then the larger ring (in her presentation) at the very end is so you can make that phone call. Especially a 911 call.”
Severson says they took advice from area municipalities while planning where to locate the towers.
“We very much listened to the municipalities and their want to not build towers that weren’t necessary and to try and co-locate or use existing infrastructure as much as we could and that’s what we’ve tried to accomplish with the 74 sites.”
She added that the goals is 99 per cent coverage, meet industrial demand, and areas where people live. The model is built on that premise.
The target is that 85 per cent of the area population will have high definition:
The target is that 85 per cent of the area population will have high definition:
• 80 to 85 new tower and co-location builds planned
• Most of the upgrades to existing towers to 5G will be completed
• Most of the upgrades to existing towers to 5G will be completed
The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
