Eastlink pumps millions more into mobile service upgrades, including better reception in rural areas of Nova Scotia

Eastlink continues to complete meaningful tasks in its broad $600-million plan to upgrade mobile services.

The latest advance was the completion of a multimillion-dollar introduction of Nokia 5G standalone core technology, with $12 million more allocated to what is described in a news release as “further network modernization, including the addition of new sites across Atlantic Canada.”

“Since we launched our mobile service in 2013, we’ve worked hard to build and continuously strengthen a world-class network,” Jeff Gillham, Eastlink chief executive officer, said in the release.

“This latest advancement, in partnership with Nokia, a global leader in critical network connectivity, not only meets today’s increasing demand for capacity but it also positions us well for future growth. It reflects our ongoing commitment to deliver the best possible mobile experience with connectivity our customers rely on today and for years to come.”

The latest improvements increase the total investments in mobile service upgrades to $30 million for 2026 alone. A primary goal in those initiatives was to fix reception inefficiencies in some of the more remote areas of Nova Scotia.

“Our ongoing investments in radio network modernization and expansion includes new tower builds in more rural areas like East LaHave and New Germany in Nova Scotia, and Cornwall and New Glasgow in P.E.I., to name a few, as well as additional in-building and rooftop sites and small cell installations,” Steve Irvine, vice-president of engineering and chief technology officer for Eastlink, said in the release.

“Together, these investments are delivering faster and more reliable connectivity, reduced dropped calls, and broadened coverage — performance capabilities our customers count on every day.”

In the bigger picture, the release said, “Eastlink has invested more than $600 million in building, maintaining and upgrading its mobile network, systems and services across its Canadian footprint. Today, the company’s network includes a total of over 1,200 sites, including standalone towers, co-locations, rooftop and in-building sites, and small cell deployments with an additional 180 new sites in progress.”

“A modern, cloud-native core network is critical to delivering the performance, resilience and flexibility that operators need as mobile services continue to evolve,” Kal De, senior vice-president of core networks for Nokia, said in a news release.

“Eastlink’s deployment of Nokia’s 5G standalone core accelerates its ability to scale, introduce new capabilities and deliver a consistently high-quality customer experience.”