PEIA new report has been made public showing where the gaps are in cellphone service coverage on Prince Edward Island, and what’s needed to bridge them.Darlene Compton says province is willing to build towersRyan McKellop · CBC News · Posted: Nov 07, 2025 12:31 PM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Province can do more to combat P.E.I.’s ‘deplorable’ cell service, opposition saysOpposition MLAs are calling on the province to do more to tackle poor cellphone service on P.E.I. A recent report recommended a number of new towers to fill gaps in coverage, and outlines how much they would cost. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau has the details. A new report shows where the gaps are in cellphone coverage on Prince Edward Island, and what’s needed to bridge them.During Friday’s question period in the P.E.I. Legislature, O’Leary-Inverness Liberal MLA Robert Henderson brought up the consultant’s report while raising concerns about poor cell coverage he and his constituents have faced.”With numerous dead spots and dropped calls, it can be frustrating,” he said. “In the riding of O’Leary-Inverness, many areas have deplorable to poor service, and in fact there’s some locations where SOS isn’t even an option.”Henderson said a report commissioned by the province’s Innovation Department found that 23 new cell towers would be needed in order to provide basic service to most of the Island.”Where are your priority areas on P.E.I. that most require a tower? Because I’m getting tired of using the statue pose to take a call,” Henderson asked Darlene Compton, the economic development, innovation and trade minister.Liberal MLA Robert Henderson says the poor cell service in his district, O’Leary-Inverness, can lead to issues in emergency situations when people are trying to contact loved ones. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)Farpoint, the consultant hired by the province to complete the report, said nearly 7,000 homes on the Island have no indoor cell reception from any provider. The report said about 2,200 homes, half of them in western P.E.I., can’t even get cell coverage outside.The study also noted there is no coverage on more than 2,200 km of Island roads, including more than 50 km of main roads. The consultant recommended 23 new cell towers that would cost up to $1 million each, and also ranked where those towers should go based on the number of homes and roads that would be covered: Miminegash ranked first. A tower there would cover about 200 homes and 30 km of roads.Second was West Cape, also in western P.E.I.St. Georges, near Cardigan in eastern P.E.I., rounded out the top three.’We need it right away’During question period, Compton said her department looking at whether standalone towers would have to be built, or if they should be placed on top of public buildings — or a mix of both.Henderson replied that the provincial government, in its recent capital budget, allocated $2.5 million for the towers this fiscal year, and another $950,000 for next.”During the capital budget debates, it was identified that one tower could cost us close to $1 million at the time it’s installed and operational,” he said.”Knowing that you only actually have three… over the next two years that you’re going to be able to install… where will your government be locating these three towers?”Compton said her department is looking at putting towers on public or private buildings.”We’re going through the risk assessment of that. I told the department to speed it up; we need it right away,” she said.”We can purchase the equipment we need right now for putting those towers up on buildings. It would give us a far bigger reach and do a lot more than three towers.”Henderson noted that there aren’t many buildings over two storeys in his district, so that wouldn’t do much to change the construction costs of a new tower. He added that there is need for a few towers in the O’Leary-Inverness district alone.Compton said her department is working with telecom providers.Darlene Compton, minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Trade, says partnerships with telecom companies are needed to improve cell service across P.E.I.. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)”It’s not our responsibility to put up these towers, but we’re willing to do it,” she said. “We need the telecom partners on board with us to do this. We can put up as many towers as we want, but if there’s no partnership there for them to put their equipment on the towers, it’s not going to work.”Compton said her department is in regular contact with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC). “It should be a federal issue as well, so… we’re willing to work with the federal government, and we’re willing to work with telecoms,” she said.’What is the plan?’After question period, Compton said that telecom providers would ideally foot the bill for the towers P.E.I. needs.WATCH | Darlene Compton talks with Louise Martin about cell coverage on the Island:Cell service on P.E.I. is bad. A recent report outlines what it will take for things to improveIt’s no secret that cellphone service on the Island is less than ideal, with a recent study commissioned by the province suggesting that 23 new cell towers are needed here. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin spoke with Darlene Compton, P.E.I.’s minister of economic development, about the report’s findings. She said the companies may be more willing to come to the table now that the province has budgeted money for the towers.Henderson said the province needs to start prioritizing how it will bring more cell coverage to the Island.”If the province is saying it believes there should be more service here… and it’s willing to put up money to do that, then it needs to start to prioritize how it’s doing it,” he said.”In my opinion, it should probably follow the consultant’s report and implement the towers based on that. But that’s my challenge to government, I guess, is tell us what is the plan for this?”The consultant’s report notes that 100 per cent coverage across P.E.I. is not realistic with current technology. It does say the telecom industry is in the early stages of cell service that will connect phones directly to a satellite, rather than traditional towers — though the report notes that won’t be widely available until 2027 or later.ABOUT THE AUTHORRyan McKellop is a graduate of the Holland College journalism program and is working as an Associate Producer and Web Writer. Got a story idea? Email ryan.mckellop@cbc.caWith files from Wayne Thibodeau
Telecom partnerships needed to bring better cell service to P.E.I., says innovation minister
