Our region is getting a significant boost for cell and internet service.

The government in Ottawa has climbed aboard the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) mobile broadband project.

Renfrew County Councillor Michael Donohue says its the missing piece of the puzzle.

Bernadette Jordan, the Federal Minister of Rural Economic Development made the announcement Thursday morning.

The provincial government will put up an additional $71 million, and the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus will provide $10 million, with private partners funding the rest.

The project will benefit every single municipality in the County of Renfrew and neighbouring Lanark County.

The first phase of the project includes building 317 new telecommunications towers and an additional 32 local internet access points.

Phase Two will identify capacity gaps, provide equipment upgrades and improve rural service quality.

Once completed the project will improve mobile coverage for over 1.1 million residents across 102 communities in Eastern Ontario.