Rogers has activated five new cellular towers along B.C.’s Highway 16, providing 911 access for all travelers and 5G coverage for its customers.
The project aims to close wireless coverage gaps along the 720-kilometre highway, known as the ‘Highway of Tears’, where many Indigenous women and girls have disappeared or been murdered.
It fulfills a key recommendation from the 2006 Highway of Tears Symposium to improve safety through better communication infrastructure.
“In 2006, we envisioned simple phone booths along the corridor. Eighteen years later, we are celebrating a network that acts as a lifeline for the north,” said Mary Teegee, a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) advocate.
“With nine towers in-service, we are proud to provide 166 kilometres of 5G cellular coverage on Highway 16, closing most of the wireless gap between Prince Rupert and Prince George,” said Mark Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer, Rogers, in a statement on Monday.
Once completed, the project will extend 252 kilometres of new cell coverage, ensuring continuous service along the corridor. The initiative is supported by the Connecting BC program and the federal government’s Universal Broadband Fund.
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Why does it take so long to put up towers along a highway? I can understand it taking some months, but not years.