Soon after Duncan Robertson and his family moved into their new house off Long Lake Road in Sudbury, something started going up across the street.

He first feared it would be a smokestack or an ugly cellphone tower, but then was pleased when it started to look like a tree.

"It's not as ugly as it would be if it didn't have the branches," says Robertson, who moved from southern Ontario a month and a half ago.

It is actually a cellphone tower, but he says he and his neighbours weren't really aware of that until the tree tower started to attract attention.

"Nobody has said really 'Oh no' or 'Let's get rid of that thing, it's ugly,' it's 'What is it?'" says Robertson.

"If they put Christmas lights on it in the winter, that might be nice, too."

The cellphone tower stands over the intersection of Long Lake Road and Sunnyside Road in Sudbury's south end. (Erik White/CBC )

Communications towers masquerading as trees have been used in the Muskoka area for years, but this is thought to be the first in northern Ontario.

No one from Rogers Communications was available for an interview, but the company did provide the following statement:

"This new Rogers tower brings LTE to the surrounding area, with an improved, faster, more reliable and consistent wireless experience to help our customers connect to what matters most to them. We work closely with communities and municipalities to provide the best wireless services, equipment and design to meet their needs."

"When determining the locations of our towers, our engineers take into consideration the proximity to communities, the visibility of the tower from passing traffic and existing structures, and the concerns of local residents."

"As with any potential tower, we work closely with the community and the municipality to make sure the design and location works for them."

Rogers says the tower should be operational sometime this summer.