NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, ON – The Ontario government is investing $71 million to help boost mobile broadband and cellular service throughout eastern areas of the province.
On Friday, Minister of Infrastructure Monte McNaughton announced that the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) will receive the funds to help fill the gaps in the reach and capacity of mobile broadband networks across areas of rural Eastern Ontario. According to the announcement, 20% of the area does not have access to standard definition video, typical mobile app use and video app calling, while 10% has no voice call service.
“This means there are homes, businesses and major roadways where it is difficult to access the internet from a smart phone,” said McNaughton in a statement. “We all know examples where people are put in dangerous positions because of dropped calls or lost connections during emergencies."
EORN pitched a $213 million public-private partnership in 2017 designed to improve both the reach and quality of cellular data services in rural Eastern Ontario, a move that it says is essential for business investment, jobs and quality of life.
The province is providing one-third of the project funding and EORN is also seeking one-third of the funding from the federal government. Members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus and most municipalities within the Eastern Ontario Mayors' Caucus have committed to contributing to the $10 million municipal share. Mobile carriers, who will be selected through a competitive bidding process, are expected to provide the balance of the funding.
Photo of Friday’s announcement via McNaughton’s Twitter account
