40 New 5G Cell Towers are Now Operational Across Eastern Ontario

Press Release

May 06, 2026

(United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry) – The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) and Rogers Communications announced today that Rogers 5G mobile services are now available in 14 more communities across eastern Ontario. Since November 30, 2025, 40 new cell towers are completed, and now offer Rogers 5G mobile services to residents, businesses and visitors.

Rogers 5G mobile services are now available in many parts of our region with new service available in:

City of Kawartha Lakes         County of Renfrew

County of Frontenac              County of Lennox and Addington

County of Hastings               United Counties of Leeds and Grenville

County of Haliburton             United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry

County of Lanark                    Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation

County of Northumberland   Curve Lake First Nation

County of Peterborough        Hiawatha First Nation

Today’s announcement is part of the EORN Cell Gap Project, a $300-million public-private partnership aimed at enhancing and expanding cellular services in rural eastern Ontario. Approximately $152 million for the project comes from the federal and provincial governments, municipal members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and most of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC). Rogers, chosen through a competitive bidding process, will contribute the remaining investment.

The EORN Cell Gap Project is a wireless expansion project boosting public safety and improving navigation on rural roads. Through this project, Rogers is constructing around 346 new cell towers, which include both newly built and co-located sites shared with other providers. 274 new towers are now offering services in the region. Additionally, all upgrades to 311 existing sites in the project have been completed with state-of-the-art 5G equipment delivering essential services to more municipalities, Indigenous communities and visitors across eastern Ontario.

“I am pleased to see that 5G services are being made available to more rural communities,” said the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. “Bringing more high-speed, reliable cell service to communities across Eastern Ontario will help to ensure our rural and remote communities are not left behind in the modern global economy.”

“These new towers are going to make a real difference in the lives of families, workers, and businesses in Eastern Ontario, and I commend the dedicated teams at EORN and Rogers on completing 40 new 5G cellular towers,” said Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries. “Our investment in this project is expanding reliable cell service in rural, remote and First Nation communities, which we know will help ensure secure access to essential services and support long-term economic growth across Ontario.”

“Since November 2025, we’ve made significant progress with the completion of 40 new tower builds that are already improving service for communities across Eastern Ontario,” said Jennifer Murphy, Chair of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network. “With the EORN Cell Gap Project on track for full completion by August 2026, we are continuing to close long-standing connectivity gaps and deliver the reliable cellular wireless service that residents, businesses, and first responders depend on every day.”

“With 40 more sites in-service, we are proud to continue to expand cellular coverage to more residents, businesses, and First Nations across Eastern Ontario,” said Mark Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer, Rogers. “Working with EORN and our government partners, we remain focused on closing connectivity gaps and delivering reliable coverage for Eastern Ontario communities.”

About EORN

Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) strives to fuel economic development and growth by working regionally to improve and leverage broadband access and cell connectivity. EORN is a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC). Since 2010, it has helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, provincial and private sector investment to improve connectivity across the rural region.

As part of its Cell Gap Project, EORN is working with Indigenous communities to ensure that new cell infrastructure is built with respect for Indigenous treaty rights and heritage. Based on input from several First Nations, EORN has committed to exceeding industry practice, and is conducting archaeological assessments on most new tower sites.

From 2010 to 2014, EORN helped to enhance broadband access for nearly 90 per cent of eastern Ontario through a $175 million public-private partnership. The network was funded by federal, provincial, and municipal governments and private sector service providers. By the end of the project, 423,000 homes and businesses were able to access services of up to 10 Mbps download. It also spurred an additional $100 million of private sector investment in the region beyond initial commitments.

-30-

Lisa Severson
Eastern Ontario Regional Network
Director of Communications
613-213-8520
lseverson@eorn.ca

IBF5