Iqaluit cell network to go digital

Iqaluit’s cell phone provider will replace its analog cell phone service with a digital network by the end of the year, but Iqaluit residents still won’t be able to use text-messaging, Blackberry wireless e-mail devices, or other advanced applications.

But NMI Mobility, the Bell Canada subsidiary that offers cell phone service in the three northern territories, says the new system will allow them to offer a caller ID service to Iqaluit cell phone customers, along with better coverage and better reception.

“It will be more reliable, with more clarity,” said Kim Iampen, NMI Mobility’s manager of marketing and communications.

But she said the new digital system won’t be advanced enough to support other services that are common across North America and Europe, such as text messaging and wireless email.

To do that, Iampen said, NMI must upgrade to an even more advanced type of digital system called a “1X” network.

Iqaluit is the only community in Nunavut with cell phone coverage.

NMI offers a variety of cell phone plans through one or two-year packaged contracts, starting at about $20 a month, plus add-ons like voice mail and call waiting. Their standard charge for air time is 65 cents a minute.