Montreal company may improve cell service

The only cellphone service company interested in providing coastal Labrador with coverage was in the area last week meeting with communities from Forteau to Cartwright.

Lynx Mobility, a Montreal-based company which targets northern communities with a population of less than 1,500, already has projects in the works for Churchill Falls, Hopedale and Nain.

Regional sales manager David Torres said the process in the south and the southeast coast is only in the preliminary stage, looking into approaches: Regional, community-by-community or zone-by-zone. Either model is dependent on population and proximity between towns. Depending on tower height and topography of the area, service can reach a town within a 10 to 15 km radius, such as the case with West St. Modeste and Pinware.

"If we get approval, if we get funding, we could do this by the end of next year for some of these communities," Mr. Torres said.

The cost ranges from $250,000 to $500,000 per site.

Lynx Mobility establishes the different requirements of individual communities to take an interactive approach, Mr. Torres said, adding that, for instance, the company doesn't offer long-term contracts, but rather prepaid cards, so the customer doesn't pay for coverage he or she doesn't use.

"The local community or the local partner actually owns the infrastructure, and then they reap benefits from that and are able to generate profits from the system in the long run," he said.

SmartLabrador president Agnes Pike, who has been in talks with the company for the past two years, said the service may provide a stimulus to the local economy.

"There was some potential, we were interested in what they had to say and they felt like they had something to offer, and I think the time has come now. It's a good opportunity for a good business plan," Ms. Pike said.

"I never use my cellphone, only when I go outside, but you're still paying a very high price for it, and I know there's an awful lot of people like me."

Yvonne Jones, MHA for L'Anse au Clair-Cartwright, said communities in her district don't have the kind of bucks needed to get the project going.

The option, she said, is to look to the provincial government.

"In my district, the towns don't have that kind of money. Any money they got today is spent in water and sewer services and road upgrades, basically maintaining their town. So we feel that the only way we can do this is to put a proposal to the provincial government for funding to cover a portion of the cost," Ms. Jones said.

Added Mr. Torres: "Right now it's about meeting the folks, getting the feedback, getting people interested, telling them who we are and how we work. We're hoping that, if things go according to plan, we should have some of these communities with cellphone coverage by the end of next year."