Cottagers who revel in seeing the “No Service” signal on their phone once they reach a remote region of the province are going to have to start heading a little farther.
Years ago, a trip to the cottage was all it took to completely unplug, but with an increasing number of cell phone towers and devices such as signal boosters, dropped calls and inconsistent access are becoming less and less common.
Now, construction is underway on multiple cellphone towers in the Manitoulin region. The towers are being put up by Sudbury-based non-profit company NetCentral, which is working to eliminate dead zones on the western end of Manitoulin Island, as well as along Highway 144 between Sudbury and Gogama.
With much of the $5-million project being paid for by the provincial government, these towers are expected to start sending and receiving signals by early 2014.
So far, feedback has been positive. Morry Brown, general manager of NetCentral, told the CBC that the islanders he’s spoken with are excited about the improved service.
“One gentleman offered to provide land for a tower, because he thought it was very important when out walking, and if something happened, he couldn’t communicate with anybody to advise that he was in trouble,” Brown said.
What do you think? Is having cell service at the cottage a good thing?
