Staff
Cellphone users in the district soon will have the option of using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network technology as the Dryden Municipal Telephone Service expands across Northwestern Ontario.
“We’re GSM service, which is the other cellular service,” noted DMTS operations manager Scott Coffey.
“All of Northern Ontario will be our territory, basically from Sault Ste. Marie to Rainy River,” he added.
Currently, cellphone providers within the area are operating using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network technology.
With a site already installed on the water tower in Fort Frances, Coffey said GSM services are expected to be available to town residents by the end of the month.
“We’re rolling out the service right now mainly in the communities west of Thunder Bay,” explained Coffey, noting the local dealer for the DMTS service will be Swiftcash Inc.
“Later in the fall, we’ll be doing our Highway 11 sites, and then basically from Shabaqua down to Rainy River and filling in the gaps between the communities.
“Then, 2010, we’ll be going to the east of Thunder Bay,” he added.
DMTS has a roaming agreement with Rogers Wireless—the only national carrier providing GSM services.
“As well, we’re working on agreements with the larger GSM operators in the U.S.,” Coffey remarked, saying this expansion of GSM service then would affect U.S. citizens who are AT&T customers or T-Mobile customers.
Service-wise, DMTS will offer a variety of both post-paid packages, texting, and data services, Coffey noted.
Area residents also will now be able to use iPhones, which only can operate on a GSM network.
