Key Takeaways:
- Thirty remote settlements in Saskatchewan are upgrading their mobile towers for better cellular connection and service.
- Greg Jacobs, manager of SaskTel’s external relations, claims that these usage habits have significantly changed over time.
- Jacobs claims that some remodelling has already begun on a few towers and that the majority of the work must be finished by the end of March.
For better cellular access and service, thirty rural villages in Saskatchewan are getting renovations to their cell towers.
To install Samsung Radio Access Network (RAN) hardware and dramatically increase 4G LTE data capacity in rural areas, SaskTel said that it would invest roughly $10 million.
The company is enhancing the towers’ capacity to accommodate more traffic in addition to the 4G LTE connectivity currently provided by the current towers.
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Whether they are making face-to-face calls or streaming videos, we continue to observe that our customers utilize increasing data for their various services. According to Greg Jacobs, external relations manager at SaskTel, these usage patterns have considerably increased over time.
“So we have to add power to the towers, which is what we’re doing, to keep up with that demand and our customers’ needs today and in the future.”
He used the example of a limited capacity for the number of vehicles that may travel on a city road at any given moment. Imagine extending lanes to the roadway so that more vehicles and traffic can pass through the tower at once without causing backups or congestion, he advised.
Big River First Nation, Oxbow, Rabbit Lake, Shellbrook, Warmley, Baildon, Blaine Lake, Crooked River, Glaslynm, Willow Bunch, Witchekan Lake, Kipabiskau Regional Park, Canwood, Norquay, Quill Lake, Ituna, Nekaneet Cree Nation, Choiceland, and Lake Alma, Leader are a few of the rural communities that will receive improvements.
According to Jacobs, several towers have already seen some construction activity, and most of the renovations must be completed by the end of March. He noted that adverse weather conditions and supply chain problems would affect their delivery capacity.
In the press release, SaskTel President and CEO Doug Burnett stated that the upgrades “will not only improve the wireless experience that our customers currently receive, but will also lay the groundwork for the deployment of 5G in the future as we proceed with our work to carry the next generation in wireless innovation to our customers throughout the province.”
Source: CTV News
