The EORN Cell Gap Project

Strong and reliable cellular services are critical to help rural communities take part in the economy, create jobs and improve public safety. EORN is spearheading a $300-million public-private partnership to improve cell service across the region.

By the end of the Cell Gap Project, our aim is to achieve:

• 99% voice call coverage in the eastern Ontario region where people live, work and travel on major roadways.
• 95% coverage in the eastern Ontario region where people live, work and travel on major roadways with standard definition service levels, which can support email, web browsing and social media services
• at least 85% coverage in the eastern Ontario region where people live work and travel on major roadways with high-definition service levels, which can support video conferencing, movie streaming and other more data intensive applications

While the project will expand cell data coverage and capacity to support the use of typical smartphone apps and streaming video, the project also has the potential to:

• Improve safety so people aren't left stranded with “no signal.”
• Provide greater choice to residents in areas where traditional broadband isn't available.
• Ready the region for the next evolution of technology.

The project can be divided into two main areas of focus. The first focus is on completing "uplifts" or "upgrades" to existing cellular towers by adding new antennas and radios. This extends the reach of their coverage and increases the capacity for users. Installing this new equipment requires an assessment of the tower and may include work to strengthen it. Data links to the tower will be upgraded if needed. Once the physical work is complete, each upgrade is tested and brought into full service with minimal interruption of existing services.

Here are the number of upgrades completed to date:

The second area of focus is on building new towers to expand service where there is limited or no service. While some of these new towers will be installed on existing infrastructure, such as a tower owned by a third-part telecommunications company, the majority of new towers will be new construction from the ground up.

The process to build a new tower involves a number of steps and can take up to two years. Here's an overview of the process that leads up to the construction of new towers:

 This map  shows towers that have successfully completed the LUA process. Please note that this does not reflect all planned towers for the Cell Gap Project and will be updated regularly.

Once the construction of a tower begins, it takes several months to complete and then the tower undergoes testing before it is fully brought into service. Towers will "go live" throughout the project, resulting in ongoing improvements over the next several years.

To date, here are the number of new towers in service:

Note: information related to the number of towers is updated regularly and may change. Small variances in overall numbers may occur.

Both the federal and provincial governments have contributed $71 million each while an additional $10 million has been contributed from the members of the  Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC)  and most municipalities within the Eastern Ontario Mayors' Caucus (EOMC).  Rogers Communications  has been selected through a competitive bidding process to improve the coverage and capacity of cell networks in the region and will be contributing the balance of the funding.

If you are a landowner who is interested in hosting a cellular tower on your land, please complete this form.

Dropped calls and spotty cell service are common across rural eastern Ontario. There are gaps in both cell coverage and capacity. At the same time, demand is growing as people depend more and more on smartphones and tablets for work, social connection, entertainment and to access public services. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased demand for connectivity as people work, socialize and access services from home.

We need to expand cell service to fill the gaps so that the region can compete economically. Reliable cell service across the region is also important for public safety.

Work to enhance existing structures and acquire new sites is underway and the services provided through these enhancements will improve as they go live. Service throughout the area will improve gradually in stages, as work rolls out over the next four to five years. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.

To create a solution for eastern Ontario, EORN needed to map a “demand area,” which is where there are homes, businesses, and major roads. This is the area where EORN would like to see new or improved services. EORN used data from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) which is responsible for the tax assessment of all properties across Ontario. MPAC has the most reliable and detailed data available on commercial, industrial and residential properties, including whether a property is multi-unit or seasonal, etc. This helped to model the cell capacity that would be needed to meet the demand for services. 

The only way to deliver better cell service is through more towers. Rogers expects to build approximately 300 new cell sites as part of the project, in addition to upgrading more than 300 existing sites. In the request for proposal, EORN encouraged tower sharing and the use of existing infrastructure to reduce the number of new towers needed.

Based on where there are homes, businesses and major roads, EORN and Rogers worked together to identify the best places to build new towers that will benefit the overall network. Rogers works with landowners in the area to lease property for towers. A proposed tower location is then brought to the local municipal council for approval. Tower locations are regulated by the federal government and all companies must comply with local zoning by-laws and follow local siting protocols. Municipal councils generally must provide agreement with a tower before it can be built.

All Canadian telecommunication providers must build their mobile networks based on established industry standards and safety guidelines set out by Health Canada. Both Health Canada and the World Health Organization say that the exposure to radio frequency from cell towers is well below any health risk.

Building the infrastructure to serve a large, sparsely populated region is costly. By partnering with telecommunications providers, and providing some funding, we can improve their business case for investing in improved services.

This model has been effective. With EORN’s earlier broadband project, private sector partners contributed more than expected and then went on to invest on their own to further expand services – to the tune of about $100 million.

Yes. We believe in and are committed to meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities and organizations about the Cell Gap Project and will do so in the spirit of good faith, mutual respect and honesty. We look forward to their guidance throughout the process and in keeping with our  Indigenous relations policy . Please  contact us  if you have further questions about EORN’s duty to consult. 

The federal and provincial governments have both acknowledged the need for high speed broadband for residents and businesses. Earlier this year, Infrastructure Ontario announced they would be proceeding with  Ontario Connects , a plan to connect all homes in Ontario by the end of 2025.

With this announcement, the proposed EORN Gig Project will not be proceeding at this time. EORN appreciates the federal and provincial government commitment to expanding broadband in the eastern Ontario region. EORN will monitor the progress of this program and will continue to be a strong advocate for broadband investment in our region, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

For more information about the Ontario Connects program, please  contact the Ministry of Infrastructure  or your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).

Flanker brands, or flanker carriers, are secondary carriers used by national carriers such as Bell, Rogers and Telus to market and offer varying services and plans to consumers that are different from their own main services and plans. For example, parent carrier Rogers has flanker brands Fido and Chatr. Parent carrier Bell has flanker brands Virgin Mobile and Lucky Mobile. Parent carrier Telus has flanker brands Koodo and Public Mobile.