Cell Phone Service Enhanced with $300 Million Investment

Cornwall Ontario – Residents, business owners and visitors are better connected than ever with the completion of the EORN Cell Gap Project.

The $300 million infrastructure project saw upgrades to over 300 cell towers, and the construction of nearly 350 new towers. 5G cellular services are now available across eastern Ontario, improving services for residents, businesses, first responders, municipalities, Indigenous communities and visitors in the region.

The EORN Cell Gap Project is a $300 million public-private partnership led by the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) and Rogers Communications. The Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada each contributed $71 million and the municipal members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and participating members of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC) collectively contributed $10 million. Rogers contributed the remaining investment of $150 million. The company was selected through a competitive bidding process.

“The Cell Gap Project represents one of the most significant investments in rural wireless infrastructure in Ontario’s history. What began as a vision to close cellular coverage gaps across eastern Ontario is now a reality for the people who live, work, travel and do business here. This project is about more than towers and technology, it’s about improving public safety, supporting economic growth and ensuring our communities are better connected for generations to come,” said Jennifer Murphy, Chair of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network.

The City of Cornwall contributed just under $300,000 to support the project. It had previously also supported the construction of a 5,500-km fibre-optic netwrok throughout Eastern Ontario which resulted in improved wired and wireless connectivity for residents and businesses. City residents and businesses have benefitted from both projects, which saw significant investments in the local communications infrastructure.

Quick Facts

• Rogers built 346 new wireless sites, a combination of new tower constructions and colocations as part of the Cell Gap Project. In addition, the company upgraded 311 existing sites with state-of-the-art 5G equipment delivering essential services to municipalities, Indigenous communities and visitors across eastern Ontario.
• The Cell Gap Project targets were 99% voice call coverage, 95% standard definition coverage, and 85% high-definition coverage in the demand areas where people live, work and travel on major roadways across the municipalities of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and the participating cities and towns of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC).
• Participating Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) counties are: County of Frontenac, County of Haliburton, County of Hastings, City of Kawartha Lakes, County of Lanark, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, County of Lennox and Addington, County of Northumberland, County of Peterborough, United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Prince Edward County, County of Renfrew and United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Participating cities of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC) are: Belleville, Cornwall, Gananoque, Kingston, Pembroke, Peterborough, Prescott, Quinte West and Smiths Falls.

About EORN

Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) strives to fuel economic development and growth by working regionally to improve and leverage broadband access and cell connectivity. EORN is a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC). Since 2010, it has helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, provincial and private sector investment to improve connectivity across the rural region.

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