Thunder Bay Mobility customers in Fort Frances soon will have a choice between analogue and digital service for their cell phones.
“They’ve done the testing. And the connection has been set up here, but they’re still doing some final work in Thunder Bay,” said Coun. Deane Cunningham, who sits on the Northwest Mobility board of which Fort Frances is a partner.
“It should become available in mid- to late-March,” he added. “But I’m sure Thunder Bay Mobility will be will be letting everyone know when it does.”
The digital signal is effective for about a seven-km radius from the tower located behind Robert Moore School.
Coun. Cunningham noted the primary reason for getting digital here was to ease the strain on the analogue system, which has drawn more customers than initially anticipated four years ago when the Northwest Mobility partnership was stuck between the town, Atikokan, and Thunder Bay Mobility (which handles customer services and accounts).
“It’s a better service [than analogue]. It provides more services, a better quality signal,” Coun. Cunningham said.
“The battery on a digital phone will last about a week when you’re in range. If you go outside the digital coverage, it will switch to analogue and the battery runs out quickly,” he added.
He noted Thunder Bay Mobility will be contacting customers shortly to discuss switching to digital if it suits their typical cell phone use. For instance, if the phone is generally used in town limits, if it can be hooked to a charger in a vehicle, etc.
Meanwhile, Coun. Cunningham also reported the town’s investment in the Northwest Mobility partnership is paying off “better than expected,” with a $200,000 dividend in 2002.
“When we started this program four years, we didn’t expect any money back for five years,” Mayor Glenn Witherspoon said upon hearing the news.
“It’s an excellent investment,” he added. “This service has even saved lives. It has created a better environment as far as safety goes.”
“We’ve exceeded our expectations,” echoed Coun. Sharon Tibbs.
Northwest Mobility is the cellular phone service operating agreement between Fort Frances, Atikokan, and Thunder Bay signed back in 1999. One-third of the cellular phone company’s ownership structure belongs to Fort Frances, which invested $1 million into the project.
Atikokan, which put up $500,000, got one-sixth of the ownership, with 50 percent going to Thunder Bay Telephone (the city’s phone utility).
The remaining $1.75 million for the project came from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp.
Fort Frances Times
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