The federal government is moving forward with a plan to improve cell service in rural and remote areas by allowing telecom providers to use satellites to expand coverage.<\/p>\n The new policy, announced by Innovation Minister Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne on Thursday, lays the groundwork for companies to offer direct-to-phone satellite connectivity, starting with text messaging later this year.<\/p>\n Many parts of Canada still have dead zones where traditional cell towers don\u2019t reach, leaving people without service on highways, in remote communities, and during emergencies. By using satellites, people in these areas will be able to stay connected even without traditional cell towers.<\/p>\n This policy is part of a larger push to improve telecom reliability across Canada, especially for emergencies and 911 access. The goal is to increase investment in wireless networks and expand service to places where coverage has been unreliable or nonexistent. Building cell towers to blanket Canada is an expensive undertaking and it makes more sense to use satellite services.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.iphoneincanada.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/starlink-direct-to-cell-1.jpg\" "\\"starlink-direct-to-cell-1jpg")
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