Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson - Cell phone service has become a reality in Fort Simpson.

Workers attached the top section of a cellular communications tower in Fort Simpson on Dec. 5. The tower will make cell phone service available in the village through Latitude Wireless Inc. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Last week a cellular communications tower was built in the village for Latitude Wireless Inc. a subsidiary of NorthwesTel Wireless Inc. The approximately 46 metre high tower will deliver both digital cellular and mobile internet service in the community, said Chris McNutt, the marketing manager for Latitude Wireless.

This is the first time that a cell phone service has been available in Fort Simpson.

The village was chosen to receive the service because it's one of the larger communities in NorthwesTel's NWT operating area that didn't have cell service, said McNutt.

NorthwesTel is trying to expand cellular coverage throughout its operating area and Fort Simpson is the second community in the territory to receive Latitude service, McNutt said. The service was also installed in Norman Wells last June and is available in 17 communities in the Yukon. The service is also being launched in Rankin Inlet in January.

"It's service people are wanting more and more," he said.

Although the tower is in place no one has been able to access the service yet. The final steps for testing the system are scheduled to start on Dec. 13, said McNutt.

McNutt was unable to say for certain when the service would be available but it could be as early as the end of the week.

"We're on the final stages of it," he said.

Until the service has been powered up, it's hard to say what the exact service range will be, McNutt said.

"We don't know until we turn it up," he sad.

In other communities with one tower the standard radius is five kilometres. Actual availability can depend on the terrain because the system is based on line of site.

Other variables can include the number of users that are on the system at any given time and the weather, he said. Cell phones are a lot like radios so the same technical parameters effect both, said McNutt. Service should remain constant near the tower but can be inconsistent on the fringe of the service area.

McNutt is expecting a response in Fort Simpson similar to what the company has seen in other Northern communities.

"We're not expecting the whole town of Fort Simpson to run out and buy cell phones next week," he said.

There will be some excited early adopters and some people that will remain cautious, said McNutt.

What has been interesting is discovering how many people already have cell phones, he said.

"A lot of people are already savvy to the world of cellular service," he said.

Latitude Wireless offers services that are comparable to those across Canada in terms of both plans and prices, said McNutt. Services include picture and video messaging, a mobile browsing service and remote web and e-mail access for a wide range of handsets including Blackberry devices.

For people who already have a cell phone, Latitude Wireless will evaluate on a case to case basis if the current phone is compatible with the system. Most of the other major cell providers in Canada operate on the same type of network except Rogers, he said.

Before Christmas NorthwesTel expects to have a dealer in Fort Simpson where people can go to buy plans and activate phones immediately.

Kirby and Wendy Groat expect to be near the front of the line to receive the service.

"I'm very happy we're getting a cell service," said Kirby Groat, who is the president of the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce.

Private businesses need to have a line of contact all the time, he said. For small businesses this is especially important because they don't have an office full of people to answer the phone.

A number of local businesses will be happy to have cell phones, said Groat.

"In this day and age it's a must," he said.

Groat said he's been pushing to get the service in Fort Simpson for a long time. The service will be beneficial to his own business, Deh Cho Suites.

"We love to be in contact all the time," he said of himself and Wendy.

Both Groats already have cell phones and plan to buy the local service as soon as it's ready.

Although he's pleased with having a cell phone service arrive, Groat said he's reserving judgment on the level of service until it's operational.

Because the system works by line of site, Groat said he doubts whether it will work on top of the hill.

"That's quite disappointing," he said.

Five kilometres isn't very far so Northwestel will have to be encouraged to expand the range, said Groat.