A remote rural community in Northwest Kamloops is breathing a sigh of relief after learning their telephone landlines are still in service.
“Obviously, I am gratified,” said resident Jim Gillingham.
Residents living in the Alpine Valley and Red Lake areas have been at risk of permanently losing their landlines.
Currently, the landline system is hardwired to a small shed that beams out to a receiving station. However, that system is making way for 5G cellular service.
Telus had sent notices it was disconnecting landline service to approximately 63 residents after March 8 to allow for 5G wireless service.
The telecom giant has offered impacted customers $1,400 in compensation to migrate to a satellite solution – Xplornet and Elon Musk’s Starlink.
However, for those on a fixed income, the transition comes at a cost with monthly bills potentially skyrocketing from approximately $26 a month to $170.
“Its always been a moral question,” Gillingham said. “How can you do this?”
However, just before the March 8 deadline, Telus informed residents it wouldn’t be canceling landline phone service – at least for now.
Gillingham says it’s a small victory and credits local community efforts, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Consumer Matters for bringing the issue to light.
“I had a number of calls and emails from people who didn’t know anything about it until they saw the Global clip,” he added.
The CRTC, which launched an investigation into the issue told Consumer Matters in an emailed statement: “We took immediate action by communicating with Telus to seek clarity, address community concerns and find solutions for serving customers in this area.”
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada stated it: “Authorized Telus to continue using their existing wireless system until March 31, 2025. ISED will reassess the situation once the CRTC completes their investigation, which includes considering alternative solutions to provide service to the communities.”
However, Telus appears to be moving forward with its plans for the area.
In a statement, the organization said “Working with Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Telus was granted a temporary extension to our home phone services powered by 3.5 GHz spectrum. Because of this temporary extension, our customers will have more time to transition to an alternative phone service if they have not yet done so.”
Michael Grenier, the director for Area J in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District told Consumer Matters a cellular tower for the area is the best solution.
“The irony is it’s a microwave system that we are told is being disconnected to make way for 5 G, but not for these people,” he said.
However, there are some safety concerns. The area has experienced three major wildfires in the last ten years.
For B.C. emergency alerts to be received on a cellphone, the device must be connected to an LTE, 4G or 5G cellular network.
“This area has been occupied for the better part of 100 years and I think there is an obligation of our Canadian telecom system to make sure these people aren’t left behind,” Grenier said.
“I would have thought Telus many years ago would have a modern technology solution rather than run this one to the ground and I think we are only here today because there wasn’t an investment in updated technology.”
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