First upgrades to N.S. cellular infrastructure to be complete this month
Cellular for Nova Scotia program seeks to address dead zones across the province
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."
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.
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