A new BellMTS radio tower in Northern Manitoba will expand the FleetNet emergency communciations system to the community of Granville Lake, 42 kilometres southwest of Leaf Rapids.
“The new tower will provide coverage in the community and Pickerel Narrows First Nation for the new Public Safety Communications Service network that Bell is building for the provincial government,” BellMTS communications manager Morgan Shipley told the Thompson Citizen. “As part of this project, we are constructing eight additional public safety radio towers to expand coverage across the province. The new network will provide first responders and public safety organizations throughout the province with advanced communications services, including mobile radios with GPS and advanced encryption.
The 41.75-metre tower will be constructed with a 2.5-metre by 2.5-metre shelter at the base and will be surrounded by a fence to restrict public access. It is part of a $380 million contract awarded to BellMTS by the provincial government to update the province’s emergency radio communication system and to expand service areas.
Granville Lake can be reached by land during the winter road season and by air or via boat along the Churchill River the rest of the year.
BellMTS doesn’t have any current plans to increase cellular phone service in Northern Manitoba, Shipley said.
“We don’t have any announcements right now about expanded wireless phone service in the area.”
