New money for cellular service in rural Nova Scotia aimed at improving coverage

The Nova Scotia government says it will spend another $18.6 million as part of its plan to upgrade spotty cellular phone service in rural areas.

Public Works Minister Kim Masland said Wednesday the funding will add 27 new provincially owned telecommunication towers in unserved parts of the province.

Last October, the government announced an initial investment of $47.3 million to connect the 20,000 civic addresses and 1,010 kilometres of primary roads in Nova Scotia with spotty cellular service.

As part of that initial investment, Rogers was chosen to upgrade 27 existing tower sites and connect them to its network.

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Officials say four mobile towers announced last fall are scheduled to be in place next spring with the remaining new and upgraded sites expected to be ready for service between next summer and the spring of 2027.

The government has recently been under pressure to improve cellular connectivity, after many rural residents didn’t receive emergency alerts during natural disasters.