Missed connections: Cell improvements coming to Walsh Acres neighbourhood

Can you hear me now?

Improved cell service is coming to Regina’s Walsh Acres neighbourhood, where residents have been experiencing poor reception.

SaskTel’s Greg Jacobs said major upgrades are planned to improve cell reception for Walsh Acres by next month. Some in the neighbourhood have been complaining about slow cell service and issues with connectivity.

Jacobs, the external communications manager with SaskTel, said the company is aware the coverage in the Walsh Acres area of Regina is “less than ideal,” and improvements are in the works.

While he couldn’t say how many complaints SaskTel has received from the area, Jacobs said the company regularly monitors how its network is performing, and had been noticing congestion in that area leading to slower connections for customers.

Jacobs explained cell networks are not dissimilar to roadways, in the sense that they can only handle a certain amount of traffic. Too many people at one time can lead to slower speeds and, in the case of cell service, less reliable connectivity.

“We are seeing more customers connecting to the network, using more data, which is taxing the resources of the network,” Jacobs said, explaining the situation Walsh Acres residents have been encountering.

The greater congestion is likely a matter of the “evolving use of data services,” Jacobs said. With the vast majority of people owning and regularly using smartphones, Jacobs said SaskTel must respond as the demand increases over time by investing more into infrastructure — by upgrading or installing new cell towers, for example.

“We are seeing some of these congestion issues pop up and we’re having to upgrade some of the towers to keep up with that demand,” Jacobs explained.

Jacobs said SaskTel is working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible by implementing some “very significant upgrades” to an existing cell tower on Rochdale Boulevard, which will improve SaskTel’s 4G and 5G wireless networks in the area.

“Once those upgrades are complete, (customers) will have significantly better coverage and capacity in that area,” he said.

The upgrades are scheduled to be completed by the end of October.

Jacobs noted SaskTel is working on making improvements to infrastructure across much of Regina, and Saskatchewan at large, with regards to its 5G network.

Derek Meyers, MLA for Regina Walsh Acres, said he’s been hearing from a few residents over the summer about the poor cell service in the area.

Previously, the Walsh Acres neighbourhood had dealt with poor WiFi and internet service, but over the past several summers Meyers said SaskTel has been working to improve that connection by replacing older copper lines to connect customers with its fibre optic network.

Meyers said he’s pleased with the work the City of Regina and SaskTel have been doing to improve the situation, and added that cell and wireless coverage in Regina is generally good.