Summary:
Estevan’s city council has given the go-ahead for the upgrade of one of SaskTel’s cell phone towers, converting it from 4G to 5G to keep pace with the city’s expanding 5G network. A newer tower structure is needed as 5G hardware is heavier than 4G hardware. Estevan is located about 2 hours southeast of Regina by car.
The new 35-meter 5G tower will replace the existing 30-meter 4G tower located at 298 Kensington Avenue within the next year. This upgrade is one of three cell phone tower projects in Estevan that SaskTel is considering, reports Discover Estevan.
Several council members, including Tony Sernick, Travis Frank, and Shelly Veroba, have expressed the desire for an open house to address residents’ safety concerns and answer questions about the project’s impact on Monday night.
Sernick said, “There’s obviously some safety concerns out there in the residential areas. An open house or something…if people have concerns, they can talk to SaskTel. I’ve been bombarded with questions, and it would just be nice to put something out that assures people.”
Veroba raised questions about the potential impact on daily cell phone users in the area, stating, “I know a lot of people are concerned about the 5G towers and yet we all put our cell phones right up to our ear all day every day…we hold them in our pocket, we hold them in our purse, they’re sitting right beside us at all times.”
Area landowners were notified of the Kensington tower project earlier this year, with no responses received so far. The towers in Estevan are jointly used by SaskTel, Bell, and Telus, while Rogers operates its own tower in the city.
