Released on September 10, 2021
SaskTel is announcing today the successful completion of the Government of Saskatchewan's Wireless Saskatchewan initiative with the launch of the final 10 macro cell towers to be constructed as part of this program. Bringing improved 4G LTE wireless service to previously underserved parts of the province, these new towers are located near the communities of Aberdeen (South), Candle Lake, Carrot River (East), East Fairwell, Kuroki, Makwa, Marean Lake, Mount Pleasant, Prince Albert (East), and Shaunavon (Southeast).
"Through Wireless Saskatchewan, SaskTel has greatly expanded their wireless network and significantly improved service for thousands of rural families, businesses, and producers," Minister Responsible for SaskTel Don Morgan said. "With more than 1,000 SaskTel cell towers spread throughout the province, Saskatchewan has the best wireless coverage in Western Canada."
"At SaskTel, we are committed to being the best at connecting Saskatchewan people to what matters most," SaskTel President and CEO Doug Burnett said. "With Wireless Saskatchewan, we were able to make tangible and meaningful progress in addressing gaps in wireless coverage in underserved rural areas. Looking to the future, the new towers we've constructed as part of this program will help us bring 5G deeper into rural Saskatchewan, ensuring that rural residents and businesses will also benefit from the same technological advancements that many in urban areas take for granted."
Originally announced in 2017, Wireless Saskatchewan is a multi-phase initiative designed to improve wireless connectivity and high speed internet services in rural parts of the province. Through this program, SaskTel invested over $107 million to:
- Construct small cell sites that enhanced wireless coverage in 105 rural communities.
- Install 89 new 107-metre macro towers to improve coverage in busy provincial parks, along highways and in rural areas.
- Improve wireless data capacity in 11 resort communities through enhancing existing cell towers.
- Expand its High Speed Fusion Internet network to 34 new towers.
"While Wireless Saskatchewan has been a great success, our government understands how critical these services have become in the modern world and will continue to work with SaskTel to further improve connectivity throughout the province," Morgan said.
About SaskTel
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.3 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.4 million customer connections including 639,000 wireless accesses, 289,000 wireline network accesses, 289,000 internet accesses, 114,000 maxTV subscribers, and 81,000 security monitoring customers. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries offer a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 3,400 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.
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For more information, contact:
SaskTel Media Relations
SaskTel
Regina
Phone: 306-777-2727
Email: media.relations@sasktel.com