The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
MTS unveiled plans yesterday to bring digital cellular phone service to Flin Flon this June, providing residents with a clearer and stronger cell phone signal. The Crown corporation will spend approximately $208,000 to replace the existing analog service, which does not support some newer cell phone features. "People are going to really notice a difference," said MTS spokesperson Michelle Picard from her Winnipeg office. "The signal will be stronger and subscribers will have more privacy and security, and a longer battery life." The digital service will allow residents to use newer cell phone features like text messaging and camera phones, which are fast becoming more and more popular. "So many people have these phones but then can't use the features on them because they don't have digital service," commented Picard. The introduction of digital service does not necessarily mean the signal will extend any further than it currently does. "But with the expansion, we're getting closer to continuous coverage," said Picard. Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce President Doug O'Brien was pleased to hear of the announcement. "I think it's a positive thing," he said. "Anything that we can add to our area to service the residents has got to be positive." MTS also announced yesterday that it will bring digital service to Thompson this month and to The Pas in June, the same month as Flin Flon. Eight other communities will be introduced to the service this year. The total cost of the expansion will be $4.5 million, including $625,000 for Flin Flon, The Pas, and Thompson. Once the expansion is complete, MTS's digital network will cover about 97 per cent of the Manitoba's population, making it the widest digital network in the province. Features available to digital cellular customers include the MobileBrowser, which allows users to browse the Internet from a cell phone. Also available is the Two-Way Short Message Service, permitting subscribers users to send and receive text messages; and Data to Go solutions, which lets users to connect their cell phone to a laptop to access the Internet. As well, the new service allows use of Picture Messaging service when using a camera phone.
