SaskTel announced today that it will offer subsidized High Speed Internet to thousands of low-income families all across Saskatchewan through the Federal Government’s Connecting Families initiative.

“The Government of Saskatchewan fully supports SaskTel’s participation in the Connecting Families initiative,” said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel.  “Through this program, more Saskatchewan families will have access to valuable resources and tools required to thrive in our digital world.”

The Connecting Families initiative is expected to launch across the country sometime this fall.  Once the program launches, SaskTel will offer low-income families High Speed Internet with download speeds of up to 10 Mbps (where available) and unlimited data for $10/month. 

“We’re proud to bring this program to Saskatchewan to help bridge the digital divide for thousands of less fortunate families in our province,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel Acting President and CEO. “With our expansive High Speed Internet network, low-income families from all over the province will be able to access this program and take advantage of the opportunities that the internet has to offer.” 

In addition to a subsidized internet connection, the Connecting Families initiative will also offer low-income families a refurbished computer to ensure they are fully equipped to get online. These computers will be distributed through Computers for Schools, a national program that the SaskTel Pioneers have administered in Saskatchewan for the last 25 years.

“Since 1993 the SaskTel Pioneers have volunteered thousands of hours to clean, refurbish, and distribute computers to schools all over the province,” said Darrell Liebrecht, SaskTel Pioneers Manager. “With the Computers for Schools program set to expand as part of the Connecting Families initiative, the SaskTel Pioneers are excited for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people throughout Saskatchewan.”

While many of the details of the Connecting Families initiative are being finalized for the program’s launch, some additional info can be found here.

About SaskTel
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.4 million customer connections including 607,000 wireless accesses, 356,000 wireline network accesses, 279,000 Internet accesses and 111,000 maxTV subscribers. 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 4,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

For more information, please contact:
Greg Jacobs, SaskTel Manager of External Communications
Phone: 306.777.3433   
E-mail: Greg.Jacobs@sasktel.com