Rogers Communications has turned on five new cellular towers along Highway 16 eliminating several dead spots on B.C.'s Highway of Tears.

This will help provide 911 access for all travellers and 5G wireless coverage. This also marks substantial completion of the project, with nine out of 11 towers now in-service.

The now-live towers include three lower-elevation sites between Kitwanga and Terrace. This is in addition to the four sites already live in the region. Also, two new mountaintop sites are located west of Terrace at Mount Jackman and on Mount Skip near Prince Rupert. 

"With nine towers in-service, we are proud to provide 166 kilometres of 5G cellular coverage on Highway 16, closing most of the wireless gap between Prince Rupert and Prince George,91裸聊视频� said Mark Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer.

91裸聊视频淲e are honoured to work with Indigenous communities and government partners on this generational project to increase safety and improve connectivity in the region for residents and travellers.91裸聊视频�

When the project is complete, Rogers will provide 252 kilometres of new cellular coverage along the highway, closing gaps to ensure continuous coverage along the entire 720-kilometre corridor.

The aim is to create a safer environment for travel and fulfill one of the recommendations in the 2006 Highway of Tears Symposium report to enhance safety for Indigenous women and girls. 

91裸聊视频淚n 2006, the Highway of Tears Governing Body dreamed of having a communication network between Prince Rupert and Prince George, our vision was simply to build telephone booths along the corridor," said Mary Teegee, a Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) activist. 

"We never envisioned that 18 years later, we would be celebrating the substantial completion of the project to provide cell coverage along Highway 16. These are more than just cell towers, they are life lines for the North. I commend Rogers for lighting the way for other corporations to follow along the path to reconciliation.91裸聊视频�

The new towers are part of an ongoing rural wireless service expansion project with the province91裸聊视频檚 Connecting British Columbia program, administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust, and the federal Universal Broadband Fund.

This corridor between Prince Rupert and Prince George honours the memory of the many Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or have been found murdered along the route.