Rogers to expand wireless networks north
Company injecting $ 450M for faster, broader service in 70 B. C. communities
Rogers Communications is investing $ 450 million over the next three years to expand its wireless network, with northern and central British Columbia expected to see the biggest service improvements.
“This injection of $ 450 million will give B. C. faster and better access to our network,” Gordon Nelson, the company’s regional vice- president for Western Canada, said Thursday at a news conference announcing the investment.
“It will bring the same levels of speed and service to central and northern B. C.,” added Nelson, noting that 70 B. C. communities will see much broader coverage.
“Demand is increasing exponentially. The data traffic in five years will be nine times what it is today.”
Nelson said that Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and the Prince Rupert to Prince George corridor will notice big changes, with the northeast identified as a key region to benefit from the expansion.
Rogers said the investment is also expected to improve safety and give more British Columbians reliable access to emergency services, including along highways and in remote communities. He said 70 per cent of all 911 calls are made by cellphone. “This expansion will help people when they need it most.”
Also on hand for Thursday’s announcement was Premier Christy Clark, who said the announcement is good news for British Columbians. “I take this is a tremendous vote of confidence in our plans to grow this province.”
Clark noted that many people in rural or northern areas don’t have decent cellphone service. “Many of you when you go to Fort Nelson ( find) your phone doesn’t work. By 2016, it will. Those communities deserve to have connectivity.”
Clark said the majority of British Columbians use a smartphone at work, at school or at home and that demand is rising fast. “This investment means more British Columbians, in more parts of the province, will have more and better wireless Internet access, which will allow them to stay connected to news, opportunities and each other.”
Thursday’s investment news by Rogers followed an announcement in May that Telus will invest $ 2.8 billion in new infrastructure and facilities across B. C. through 2016.
Telus said the money will be used to build infrastructure, expand urban and rural Internet connectivity and capacity, and bring its wireless technology to more B. C. communities.
Telus has also committed to connecting more than 1,700 kilometres of rural highway. As well, it was announced earlier this year that Quebecor’s Videotron was making a major move into the west.
The Quebec communications giant bought wireless spectrum licences in B. C. and Alberta, potentially fulfilling the federal government’s promise of a fourth major carrier to provide competition for the big three — Telus, Bell and Rogers. Nelson said Thursday’s announcement had nothing to do with Videotron coming to B. C.
“This is not related to that,” said Nelson. “We’re making these investments because of our customers’ demands. British Columbia’s economy is growing very fast and we want to help support that growth.”
Phillip Lind, vice chairman and executive vice- president, regulatory, for Rogers, noted that 98.3 per cent of the B. C. population will have access to Rogers LTE, the company’s highest level of cellphone service, by the end of 2016 and that the company has already invested $ 1.5 billion in its wireless network across the province.
According to Rogers, mobile video alone is expected to account for over two- thirds of the world’s data traffic by 2018. In B. C., it added, more than 64 per cent of residents own a smartphone and use it 1.7 hours per day on average.