Nova Scotia, 2026, Community Cellular Connectivity Survey
Executive Summary
Reliable cellular service is no longer a convenience. For many Nova Scotians, it is part of the infrastructure they depend on for work, family, health and emergency communication.
In 2026, 2,270 Nova Scotians shared their experiences with unreliable cellular connectivity. This report documents what they told us, where the gaps exist, and why those gaps have become a public-safety concern.
Reliable cellular service has become part of the basic communications infrastructure on which Nova Scotians depend. People use cellular networks to communicate with family, conduct business, receive medical information, navigate emergencies and contact 911. In many communities, however, reliable cellular service remains unavailable or depends on an internet connection and Wi-Fi calling.
The Community Cellular Connectivity Survey began as an effort to understand unreliable cellular service in a small area of Lunenburg County. The response quickly demonstrated that the concern extended well beyond one community.
Following public and media attention, responses began arriving from communities throughout Nova Scotia. The survey was therefore expanded to allow residents across the province to document their own experiences.
By the time the survey closed, 2,270 submissions had been received.
The purpose of this project is straightforward: to document what Nova Scotians themselves are experiencing and provide that information to governments, regulators, infrastructure agencies, wireless providers and other organizations in a form that can be examined and acted upon.
❋ Data Integrity and MethodologyThe survey was voluntary and publicly accessible. It is therefore a self-selected community survey rather than a randomized probability sample, and its results should not be interpreted as representing a statistically selected cross-section of the entire Nova Scotia population.
❋ Principal FindingsThe results describe a respondent population experiencing widespread and recurring problems with cellular connectivity.
❋ A Public Safety IssueThe survey began as an examination of cellular connectivity. The responses demonstrate that the issue cannot be understood solely in terms of convenience.
A recurring vulnerability appears throughout the data: many residents compensate for inadequate cellular coverage by relying on Wi-Fi calling
❋ Actions RequestedThe Community Cellular Connectivity Survey asks governments, regulators, infrastructure agencies and wireless providers to: Recognize unreliable cellular connectivity as a potential public-safety issue,