NUNAVUT - Clyde River, Pangnirtung and Iglulik may soon have cellphone service as all three communities are working with Lynx Mobility to set up networks.

Cell phones, like this one, may soon be usable in Clyde River, Pangnirtung and Iglulik. The three communities are working with Lynx Mobility to set up networks. - NNSL file photo

Clyde River's deputy mayor Nicodemus Illauq said they are seeking local coverage to start, extending farther away in the future. The survey of the community will be done in the coming weeks.

"It will get us in the 21st century," he said. "We can't really predict when the ice is thin anymore, when it's going to fog up or when we'll get a blizzard. And a cellphone will be an economic way to tell family you're all right instead of buying an expensive $3,000 to $4,000 HF (high frequency) radio."

Pangnirtung has already received some equipment and the survey is done but the rest of the equipment will be delivered later this summer.

"It is very important, both in terms of helping community residents and also to look at options available for search and rescue," Ron Mongeau, the hamlet's SAO said.

And in Iglulik, the survey is also done and the equipment will arrive by sealift this summer.

"As the transportation is growing, with Ski-Doos and four-wheelers going out of town ... they will be able to give us a call is something happens," said mayor Lucasi Ivvalu.

Lynx Mobility provides cell phone service to remote communities, most recently launching service in Kuujjuaq, Que., in addition to networks operational in other Nunavik and Labrador communities. The company will visit all three communities to determine what equipment is in place and its condition, such as checking if the towers are strong enough, explained David Torres, the regional sales manager. He added the challenges lie in the implementation and logistics.

"Some of the greatest challenges is bringing the heavy equipment and the logistics. We have a small window in which we could build the tower," he said.

The company will train people in the community to repair and maintain the network and cellphones.