Nova Scotia this week committed another $18.6 million to build 27 new telecommunications towers as part of an ongoing effort to improve connectivity across the province. Additionally, Nova Scotia selected Rogers to upgrade 27 existing tower sites.
Per a Canadian Press report (via The Globe and Mail), the provincial government was under pressure to accelerate its plans to improve cellular coverage after some rural residents didn’t receive emergency alerts amid recent weather-related disasters. However, the province’s Public Works Minister Kim Masland said efforts to improve coverage will be gradual.
The new funding builds on an initial $47.3 million investment announced last October. That investment will help bring improved coverage to the 20,000 civic addresses and over 1,000km of primary roads in Nova Scotia that have poor service.
Masland announced on Wednesday that the province selected Rogers to upgrade 27 existing sites as part of that initial investment. Rogers will install wireless broadband capabilities and add generators to those towers.
Once the 27 new towers and other work is completed, 62 percent of Nova Scotia’s underserved areas and 562km of underserved roads and highways will have coverage. Masland said the overall goal is to reach 99 percent coverage.
Along with the new announcements, Nova Scotia said four towers announced last fall are slated to be in place next spring, while the remaining new and upgraded sites are expected to be ready between next summer and the spring of 2027.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
