Proposed tower would provide emergency backup communication

A public meeting is being held on Friday evening to outline the details of a proposal to install a 50-metre telecommunications tower at the Charlottetown Water and Sewer Utility facility on Malpeque Road.

The need for backup communications was highlighted during post-tropical storm Dorian, when some emergency services found themselves unable to communicate when both landlines and cell towers went down.

The meeting will be led by Island Telecom Services, a private company, on behalf of the City of Charlottetown's water and sewer utility.

Island Telecom Services president Daniel Mullen said the project has been in the works for three years, and has involved the city and radio amateur groups in Charlottetown and Summerside.

"It's going to enable the radio amateur groups in Charlottetown and Summerside to link the two cities and offer back-up communications for fire and police and public safety," said Mullen.

"The goal of the radio amateur group will be to eventually build a province-wide network."

If everything goes according to plan the tower would be built by the end of this year or in the winter of 2020.

The public information session will be Friday at 6 p.m. at the West Royalty Community Centre.

More P.E.I. news