New wireless towers along Highway of Tears providing 166km of coverage
PRINCE GEORGE, BC (December 30, 2024) – Rogers Communications today announced it has turned on five new cellular towers along British Columbia’s Highway 16, providing 911 access for all travellers and 5G wireless coverage for customers. Today’s announcement marks substantial completion of the project, with nine out of 11 towers now in-service.
“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. “We are honoured to work with Indigenous communities and government partners on this generational project to increase safety and improve connectivity in the region for residents and travellers.”
When the project is complete, Rogers will provide 252 kilometres of new cellular coverage along Highway 16, closing gaps to ensure continuous coverage along the entire 720-kilometre corridor. This will establish a safer environment for travel and fulfill one of the recommendations in the 2006 Highway of Tears Symposium report to enhance safety for Indigenous women and girls.
“In 2006, the Highway of Tears Governing Body dreamed of having a communication network between Prince Rupert and Prince George, our vision was simply to build telephone booths along the corridor! We never envisioned that 18 years later, we would be celebrating the substantial completion of the project to provide cell coverage along Highway 16,” said Mary Teegee, a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) activist. “These are more than just cell towers, they are life lines for the north. I commend Rogers for lighting the way for other corporations to follow along the path to reconciliation.”
The new towers are part of an ongoing rural wireless service expansion project with the province’s Connecting British Columbia program, administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust, and the federal Universal Broadband Fund. This corridor between Prince Rupert and Prince George honours the memory of the many Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or have been found murdered along the route.
The Highway 16 project is part of Rogers commitment to expand services to underserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in B.C. and across Canada. Rogers has invested over $40 billion in its networks over the last decade and is investing $4 billion in capital investments this year. Rogers 5G, the country’s largest and most reliable 5G network, now reaches more than 2,500 communities.
Highway 16 B-Roll available here.
About Rogers Communications Inc:
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