CityWest and Northwestel have completed upgrades to the downtown cellular sites.  This will upgrade the current 1x service to 1xEV DO (commonly referred to as EVDO).  The sites that were upgraded were Roosevelt, Downtown, Digby Towers.  The sites on Mt. Hayes, Mt. Oldfield, and on Ridley Island will not be upgraded at this time and will remain at 1x. 

EVDO is an evolution to the existing network – a wireless high speed technology.  This network is a dedicated data network that will allow for higher data/download speeds than the 1x system.  These speeds will provide noticeable performance benefits on any data application i.e. email, web browsing, picture/video messaging.  In addition, EVDO separates voice and data traffic, allowing customers to receive calls while on an active data session.  With 1x, data and voice services interrupt one another. 

With the upgrade of the three sites in our core network, the majority of traffic will run on the EVDO network.  The outer edges of the network will continue to provide 1x service. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:
How do I know if I’m on 1x or EVDO?
A:
The icon on the top corner of your phone that says “1X” now means you are connected to a 1x network.  When you are within range of the EVDO network the icon will say “EV or 1xEV”  other phones have their own icons but the icons will be distinctly different when the phone is connected to a 1x or EVDO network – you may need to refer to your phone’s manual for an explanation of the icons.    

Q:
My phone is fluctuating between 1x and EVDO. 
A:
If you are right on the edge of the EVDO coverage then this may happen as you pick up the 1x coverage and EVDO coverage in certain areas.  If this is occurring in town then it could be a registration problem.  Try power cycling your phone and if this problem persists then please report this to a CityWest customer service agent.

Q:
My phone stays on 1x and doesn’t connect to EVDO at all.  
A:
Many phones are 1x only and therefore will not connect to EVDO.  If your phone is EVDO-capable then it may be set to “1x-only” - there are network settings in the phone to tell it connect to only 1x or EVDO – or either 1x/EVDO. 
This is a list of phones that are 1x-only:
Samsung M320
Samsung Cleo
Samsung M230
Samsung Link
LG Rumour
LG Wine
LG Rumour 2
M800 Bagphone

Q:
Why does the 1x network not allow for voice and data at the same time?   
A:
1x is similar to a dial-up connection.  Where the phone “dials” in to connect with the internet.  Therefore, while the phone is connected to the internet, it would ring busy on any incoming call since you are actually on a call at that moment.  EVDO separates voice and data, so it offers higher speeds, better capacity, and also allows you to receive calls while you are connected to the internet.

Q:
During the Olympic torch ceremony my phone didn’t work why is that?   
A:
When a large number of people are gathered in one area and all trying to use their phone at the same time, there will always be capacity problems.  However with the 1x system, all data traffic and voice traffic were competing for the same voice channels.  So during the torch ceremony for instance, customers were picture messaging, or uploading pics to facebook, while others were on the phone, and others were texting.  All of these applications use the same voice channels on a 1x system.  Now with EVDO, voice calls and texts use voice channels, and data traffic like picture messaging, emailing, browsing etc use the data channels.  This separation will greatly increase the capacity on the network and should therefore enhance voice and data quality as a result. 

Q:
How does this compare to speeds on the GSM network in town?
A:
The GSM network in Prince Rupert currently is: GSM-EDGE.  Data speeds on the 1x network are about equal to speeds on the GSM-EDGE network.  Speeds on the EVDO network will be about 4 times faster than the speeds attainable on 1x or EDGE. 

Q:
Will you plan to upgrade the other sites in town?
A:
We don’t have that information available at this time. 

Q:
Will you be planning to access the new HSPA network in Canada?
A:
We are in discussions with Northwestel currently.   We cannot provide further comment as talks are ongoing.

Q:
Are you considering 4G cellular service?
A:
Yes we are considering this technology now.  There are two emerging technologies for 4G mobile service: LTE and WIMAX.  We are researching these technologies now in order to build a business case for 4G in the northwest.  4G service currently support USB modems but mobile handsets i.e. phones or PDA’s are not available at this time.  For this reason we expect it will be another 2-years before 4G handsets are widely available and the technology will be mainstream.