A new communications tower proposed late last summer, approved in principle by Pelham Town Council last fall, and predicted to be in use during the first quarter of this year, will not be in service until at least the first quarter of 2025, says the company behind it.
Shared Tower, of Oakville, built the 30-metre monopole tower structure behind the Circle K gas station and convenience store, and adjacent the Pelham Hills plaza, in south Fonthill. The tower is engineered to accommodate three cellular service providers, and is anticipated to address coverage and capacity issues in a radius of approximately 5 km. While the company said last summer that it hoped to have the tower in use by early this year, construction was not completed until this past summer.
There is still no firm date for when it may be put into service.
"We recognize that residents are eager for the tower to provide necessary service in the area," says Shared Tower senior planning manager Cheyenne Zierler when asked for an update by PelhamToday. Zierler says that the company is negotiating with cellular companies to "accelerate" the process.
"We have been working with the service provider on getting their equipment installed on the tower. There have been longer than usual delays."
What can a disgruntled Pelham cellphone user do in the interim?
At home, you can switch your cell calls to a WiFi connection. Purchasing a signal booster is another option, which may or may not be beneficial, given the landscape where your house is located. Last resort: use your home landline, if you still have one.
As PelhamToday reported last fall, comments online from other cellphone customers suggest that Rogers is probably the most reliable bet in this area. But if there is a mass exodus of local customers to Rogers, it’s inevitable that system will be overloaded and suffer the same issues. And with new subdivisions being built in Pelham, the problems are only going to get worse for all providers if they don’t upgrade their towers and other infrastructure.
The common perception is that Bell, Telus, and Rogers can easily afford to build more towers to improve cell service. However, last year Telus announced 6,000 job cuts, after reporting a 61 percent drop in second quarter net income. At the time Telus said it was “adapting to a rapidly transforming industry,” and that issues such as regulation and competition have prompted the need to reduce its payroll.
Which providers may or may not use the new structure in Fonthill and when remains to be seen.
"We expect the tower to be operational in early 2025," says Zierler.
