SaskTel announced plans today to improve 4G LTE cellular services in 41 additional rural communities throughout rural Saskatchewan by deploying a small cell site solution.  This expansion is part of Phase 2 of the Government of Saskatchewan’s December 2017 announcement which will provide rural communities with enhanced access to reliable cellular and high speed internet services.

“SaskTel is making great progress on the Wireless Saskatchewan initiative and as of today, 91 rural communities that had no cellular coverage or fringe service at best will now receive a new small site solution that will significantly improve their wireless experience,” Minister Responsible for SaskTel Don Morgan said.  “Our government understands that having access to fast and reliable communications services are vital in today’s digital world and SaskTel’s continued investment in its cellular network will greatly benefit many residents, farms, and businesses who call rural Saskatchewan home.”

“SaskTel has a proud legacy of delivering world-class cellular services that now cover close to 99% of the population of the Province,” SaskTel Acting President and CEO Doug Burnett said.  “We know our rural customers are wanting improved cellular services and these upgrades will help bolster our network and add capacity to address the ever-growing demand for wireless data.”  

The upgrades on the first 50 towers that have already been announced will be completed by March 31, 2019.  The 41 locations announced today will be completed by March 31, 2020 and there will be an additional nine communities that will be announced shortly. See the attached appendix for a full list of towers to be upgraded.  See the December 2017 news release for more information on the Government of Saskatchewan’s full announcement outlining the four-phase initiative.

About SaskTel
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.2 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.35 million customer connections including 610,000 wireless accesses, 345,000 wireline network accesses, 283,000 Internet accesses and 112,000 maxTVsubscribers. 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 3,900 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

For more information, please contact:
Michelle Englot, SaskTel Director of External Communications
Phone: 306.777.4476   
E-mail: Michelle.Englot@sasktel.com