Summary
P.E.I. MLAs highlight poor cell service from TELUS and Bell. Eastlink is praised for more reliable coverage, prompting calls for improved infrastructure and provider accountability.
Eastlink is praised for more reliable coverage, prompting calls for improved infrastructure and provider accountability.
By Stephen Pate, with a story from CBC PE
Mobile Phone Problems on the Island
P.E.I. MLAs were briefed on Tuesday about the pressing connectivity issues that are adversely affecting cellphone users on the Island, underscoring the urgent need for solutions.
The staff at the provincial Department of Economic Development and Trade, in their efforts to address the problems with reception and dropped calls, have suggested several ways cellular providers could enhance their services, providing a sense of ongoing commitment and action.
Eastlink Provides More Stable Service
One thing the Province says has gotten the attention of TELUS, which has the main contract for government cell phones, is switching some of those phones to another carrier.
“We’ve experienced areas with extreme performance issues,” said director of business infrastructure services John Brennan. “We have moved some of our users from our primary provider, TELUS, to Eastlink, where Eastlink is providing more stable service in certain geographical parts of the province.”
Growing Wireless Capacity Strain
MLAs from all parties and the government bureaucrats sharing information from providers agreed that the growing population and use of cell phones on the Island are straining wireless capacity.
‘The cell service on P.E.I. sucks,’ Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker bluntly put it. (PE.I. Legislative Assembly)
“Our job is to represent the concerns of our constituents and the concerns of our constituents is that the cell service on P.E.I. sucks,” said Green MLA Peter-Bevan Baker during a meeting of the standing committee on education and economic growth.
Outdated Technology
The committee also heard that the province is using outdated technology. Modern 5G technology is only used for cellphone data in P.E.I. while voice calls are split between the older 4G network and even the older 3G network.
Questionable Figures from TELUS and Bell
Figures from just two cellphone providers, TELUS and Bell, provided to the committee on Tuesday showed that of 600,000 daily calls, just under 2,000 are dropped—about a third of one percent.
O’Leary-Inverness Liberal MLA Robert Henderson said he found that figure to be low.
“Cell service on Western PEI is ‘atrocious.” Liberal MLA Robert Henderson O’Leary-Inverness (P.E.I. Legislative Assembly)
“In my riding [the service is] atrocious,” he said. “Sugarcoat it any way you want … that’s not accurate. Unless you have evidence to say otherwise I can talk to just about any constituent in my riding and there’s areas where you get zero service. So I’m finding that hard to believe unless certain areas are better than others.”
Need for More Cell Towers
The pressing need for more cell towers in P.E.I. is a stark reality, yet the government’s limited leverage to persuade cell phone companies to build them is a significant hurdle that needs to be overcome.
The federal government has mandated a national 5G upgrade by 2027, but the Island will likely be the last to get updates as companies focus on larger centres first.
Safety Concerns
PC MLA Robin Croucher said the lack of service in certain areas is not an inconvenience; it’s a safety concern.
“Cellular providers are giving P.E.I. a ‘second-rate service.'”PC MLA Robin Croucher (P.E.I. Legislative Assembly)
“Our providers are giving us second-rate service as an entire province,” he said. “How do we emphasize the need for them to come to the table and make the investments to give us the service that we’re paying for and that they’re providing? We need to challenge them to do better.”
TELUS’s Response
TELUS told CBC News on Tuesday that it’s collaborating with the province to improve connectivity.
“TELUS is committed to meeting the needs of our customers as cellular traffic and data usage levels continue to rise on Prince Edward Island,” it said in a statement. “We continue to collaborate with the Government of Prince Edward Island with respect to improving connectivity.”
Calls for Accountability and Solutions
MLAs also want to connect with former P.E.I. premier Robert Ghiz, who heads the industry group representing cell phone companies.
Ghiz has twice declined invitations to appear before the committee, which is seeking industry accountability and solutions and a better timeline for improving service.
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