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Cell phone coverage around the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border has long been an issue with inconsistent service on both sides leading to dropped calls and lack of trustworthy communication.听
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The problem isn鈥檛 in just one area near the border, many Saskatchewan residents from up and down the border have struggled with the situation.听
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Untrustworthy communication can create problems for those who work on large areas of land in rural Saskatchewan and residents hope something will change.
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Doug Longman lives just over a mile from the Manitoba border in the Maryfield area and says despite having a SaskTel tower on his land, there are constant problems with cell service.
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鈥淭here鈥檚 all kinds of issues,鈥� said Longman. 鈥淎bout 15 years ago they came along to put a tower on my land and I thought it over and thought it鈥檚 probably better for me and a lot better for the community to have good cell service鈥擨 never thought anything about if it would be directional or anything鈥攁nd so they put the tower up. I work with my son and we have a beekeeping operation and our yard is just about two miles east from the tower, but we get terrible cell service because it鈥檚 directional and shoots to the west.听
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鈥淚f I get a call sometimes it works, but you can鈥檛 depend on it. I can see the tower from my yard and I might be able to make a phone call or I might not be able to make a phone call鈥攖exts work a little better than calls, so we use texts.听
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鈥淲e employ a couple summer students every year and we鈥檝e got bee yards all along the border but no way to communicate.听
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鈥淎bout two and a half miles southeast of the tower we have one yard and two of our young guys went into the yard last year and when they left the yard three hours later we got a text saying, 鈥榯here鈥檚 a bear in the yard with us.鈥� It turned out okay for them, but you need to have reliable communication.
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鈥淥ne of the boys we employ over the summer lives right on the border on the Manitoba side and they鈥檙e in the same boat, they have no cell service,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all just hit and miss all around the border and I鈥檝e gone after SaskTel and I鈥檝e written the minister鈥攖heir solution is that I could buy an extender, well that鈥檚 about $600 and we鈥檇 need one at the honey house, one in each vehicle, and when it鈥檚 said and done we鈥檇 be looking at about $2,400 to communicate.听
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鈥淚t鈥檚 not just in Maryfield either, go all along the border and it鈥檚 the same issue. Go to Welwyn it鈥檚 the same, go anywhere on the border.鈥�
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Over four miles from the border east of Rocanville, Murray Reid still has issues with cell service on his farm and can鈥檛 believe the issues the closer you get to the border.
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鈥淲elwyn is two miles from the border and it鈥檚 bad there,鈥� said Reid.听
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鈥淎t our farm here, we put a cellphone booster on the tower and that kind of improved it when we鈥檙e in the house, but when we鈥檙e at our barn you鈥檒l talk for maybe two or three minutes and then the call drops. We can see the tower at the mine from our yard and it鈥檚 still not great鈥擨 think there鈥檚 too many people using that tower because of the mine. It鈥檚 not all the time for us, weekends are better, but I think there鈥檚 just so much traffic on the tower at the mine.听
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鈥淚t used to be we鈥檇 be on a Manitoba tower most the time and it wasn鈥檛 bad, but then they put the one in at the mine and it鈥檚 been a problem.听
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鈥淲hen we go up and go fishing in the far north鈥攖he tower is probably 20 miles from us鈥攚e get excellent cell service up there. It鈥檚 disappointing that you can go up into the sticks and get better cell service than near Welwyn or Maryfield.鈥�
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