Cellphone service arrived in Nain last week, and its arrival took a lot of people — even members of government — by surprise.

For the first time ever, residents in the Labrador community had bars on their phones and didn't need to rely on Wi-Fi.

"I was down to the dock with my daughter and she picked up her iPhone and said, 'Wow, I got cell service,'" said Joe Dicker, the town's mayor.

Bell Aliant, the company behind the cell service, didn't make a big deal out about its introduction, and declined a request from CBC News for an interview about it. The company confirmed in an email to CBC that cell service is now available to anyone in the town.

"I'm the MHA for the north coast, I didn't know anything about it," said Lela Evans, who represents the Torngat Mountains district for the Progressive Conservatives. Neither did the Nunatsiavut government, she added.

PC MHA Lela Evans says she had no idea cell service was coming to Nain. (CBC)

With so many questions from the community about the service, Evans said, she contacted Bell, and the company told her Nain was easy to set up since its building was in the centre of town and it didn't need to build much extra infrastructure to get cellphones ringing.

"They could just put the small cell tower on the building. It was just the cost of the box," she said.

She also said the service isn't just a temporary setup but is in Nain to stay.

Government invested, but how much?

The Newfoundland and Labrador government did make an investment in the Nain service, but Evans says she doesn't know how much.

She said the money was left over from a pilot project launched by government last spring to bring cell service to communities along the southern coast of Labrador as well as the Great Northern Peninsula and a few spots on the Avalon Peninsula.

The provincial government set aside $1 million for the entire pilot project in the 2018 budget. Of that money, $256,000 is going toward service on the south coast.

With the cell operation a success so far in Nain, Evans said, both Bell Aliant and the provincial government are now looking to expand cell coverage to other communities along the north coast.

Nain has a population of around 1,100 people. (Submitted by Draper Hollett)

But a spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation said in an emailed statement that the provincial government has not funded cellular service infrastructure in Nain. Any advancements in cell coverage in the region would need to be addressed by the local provider, said the a statement.

Spotty reception

Dicker, Nain's mayor, said the reception in Nain has been a little spotty so far. Evans said that's to be expected, as the service has a limited range and there may be some dead zones for reception in town.

But she's nonetheless pleased the service is up and running.

"This infrastructure is really good for the community," she said.

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