The push to try get a reliable cellular network set up in the Alpine Valley and Red Lake area northwest of Kamloops is ongoing.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District Area J Director Mike Grenier says that is the main ask for residents in about 55 households, who will be losing their landlines on March 8, when Telus repurposes the spectrum for its new 5G wireless network.
“We’re looking at what CRTC and province can do to assist Telus if they could reconsider their 5G cellular solution,” Grenier said on the NL Noon Report. “That might be a fix for the area.”
“We’re hopeful that some of these agencies that help Telus might be able to come to the table now that we’ve got this in front of us.”
But Grenier also told Radio NL he knows that any new cellular network won’t be set up before the date when the landlines are set to be disconnected.
“There is a bit of irony in this because they are decommissioning the 3500 MHz spectrum on their microwave to make room for 5G, but not for these folks,” Grenier added.
“The normal Telus migration from copper would be pure fibre, which is fibre to the home, or some sort of 5G cellular solution, but those aren’t being deployed here.”
Grenier says he is working with Kamloops MLAs Peter Milobar and Todd Stone as well as MP Frank Caputo to address the concerns that have been raised by these residents, who are represented by the Tranquille Valley Community Association.
“Our focus right now is to make sure that seniors and folks that are having difficulty with this transition get some kind of assistance,” Grenier said. “[Some residents] are quite satisfied with the $1,400 and they can use their cellphone in Wi-Fi mode or they can use a VoIP phone. But for some of our folks that are seniors that are not up on LAN and WAN and modems and all the rest of the fancy stuff that goes with new technology, it is a little but more daunting.”
“Add to that fixed income, add to that middle of the winter when this transition is taking place. Telus has told us that they have a team that is prepared to help out with these folks and we’re looking at that very closely.”
While a Telus spokesperson told Radio NL that the $1,400 payout is meant to help the affected customers transition to another satellite internet provider, some residents say they have concerns about the move including high costs and a lack of accessibility during emergencies.
“A lot of people live at the 30 km mark [of the 60 km long Tranquille-Criss Creek Road] and having some kind of mobility solution there for breakdowns, for people going off the road, for forest fires and emergency services – all of that is an obvious need,” Grenier said.
“We’re hoping that Telus can find an obvious solution – put up a tower.”
In an email to Radio NL, Tranquille Valley Community Association President Barbara Hetherington noted there are no other landline providers and no cellular service in the area at this time.
“Telus has known for at least 20 years that our system is aged. In 20 years, they have not taken the opportunity to either upgrade it or provide us with cellular service,” Hetherington said. “We are now bearing the brunt of this lack of infrastructure maintenance.”
“As a community, we request that landline service is maintained, and that reliable cellular service is established before landline service is discontinued.”
