RR cell service to go digital

Ken Johnston

Rainy River cell phone users can expect to go digital by early summer.
Northwest Mobility who introduced analog cellular service here a few years ago is already working on upgrading the Rainy River tower to provide digital service in the community.
Division Manager Simone Laatu said that some of the antennas have already been installed on the tower and that work will continue through the next month or so. She is optimistic that they will power up the new service by the end of June.
Laatu said that, “Digital provides better voice quality and is more secure.” However, the digital service will be limited to about a 7 mile radius in and around Rainy River. Analog on the other hand has about a 20 mile radius.
Digital users will have to switch back to analog once they leave the Rainy River digital service area. There are phones available that switch automatically.
Another advantage of digital service is that batteries last longer. Digital also allows services like text messaging and caller i.d. to be offered to customers. There was no word as to whether Northwest Mobility will offer such services, as the person with those answers was unavailable for questions Monday.
Cost estimates for the upgrade in Rainy River are about $300,000. Laatu said that in the long run they hope to make the entire Rainy River to Thunder Bay corridor digital. “It (the analog service) has been a very successful venture.” At the end of year one of its implementation, they were at year three user projections.
The upgrade will make Rainy River’s tower a dedicated site rather than a repeater. That means it will have its own channels and not be sharing with Fort Frances as was previously done. That should free up the system from some of the stress it has experienced in the past.