Andrew McClelland
The Advocate
Work has begun on the Quebec government’s project to build more than 100 new cellphone towers in regions of the province that have poor reception or no signal at all, representing an investment of $170 million.
Premier François Legault made the announcement earlier this summer, noting that the first phase of the CAQ’s high-speed connectivity plan built 79 cellphone towers by the spring of 2024.
“I am very proud of the work accomplished so far to improve cellular coverage and I am delighted to be able to offer all residents, no matter where they are, a quality of life that lives up to what we have the right to expect in Quebec,” said Legault in an official release.
The plan seeks to address the danger of not having cellular reception in some of Quebec’s most remote areas, including a lack of reception for 9-1-1 and other emergency services.
On the North Shore, portions of routes 138 and 389 are still beyond the reach of any cellular network.
In 2022, a 22-year-old woman from the Minganie MRC (north of Anticosti) discovered she was outside any zone of cellphone reception following a near-fatal car accident. The incident highlighted the need for a speedy construction of new cellphone towers across the province.
“In 2024, it is unthinkable not to have a cellular network across the entire territory of Quebec,” said Legault in an announcement made on June 28. “It is a matter of the safety of citizens and visitors, but also of the dynamism and economic development of the region.”
In 2022, the provincial government mapped out what it called “cellular deserts” in Quebec, determining that anywhere from 400 to 700 antennas would be needed to eliminate these dead zones.
Under phase 1 of Quebec’s high-speed internet and special connectivity plan, 84 new cellphone towers were projected to be built. The government’s latest announcement adds an additional 100 towers to the overall project plan, and will extend coverage in the regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Mauricie, Estrie, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Chaudière-Appalaches, Laurentides and Centre-du-Québec.
“The regions that will benefit from this new infrastructure will quickly see the difference,” said Gilles Bélanger, MNA for Orford and parliamentary assistant for high-speed Internet and special connectivity projects. “Where their citizens could feel isolated, we are improving daily communications. For both leisure and work, this extended cellular coverage will make life easier for those in the areas concerned.”
The vast majority of the cellphone towers will be constructed by Videotron, Sogetel Mobilité, and TELUS. Quebec says construction is expected to be completed by 2027.