Rogers is no longer building new cell towers along a 92-kilometre section of highway between Hope and Keremeos in B.C.
The telecom originally announced that it would invest $9.7 million with $3.7 million coming from the B.C. provincial government. This was supposed to fund the construction of 11 new cell towers to make sure this stretch of highway was adequately covered.
However, a report from iPhone in Canada says that the telecom cancelled the project. According to the publication, the B.C. Ministry of Citizens’ Services said that Rogers faced unforeseen circumstances when planning the space for its towers along the rocky highway. The inflationary cost of infrastructure, combined with the financial restraints of the current telecom sector, led Rogers to abandon the project.
MobileSyrup reached out to Rogers about the cancellation, but the company did not respond in time for publication.
Rogers previously applied and received funding through the province’s Connecting Communities program, with plans to complete the project in 2024.
The provincial government says that cell coverage along that stretch of highway is still a concern. Currently, there isn’t a new provider set up to take the place of Rogers, but the province is still looking to spend its half of the budget.
That said, Rogers has recently partnered with Starlink to bring satellite-to-cell service to Canada. iPhone 14 and newer devices can also connect to satellites to send messages and contact emergency services.
Source: iPhone in Canada
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