SaskTel investing $10 million to upgrade wireless network and increase 4G LTE data capacity in 30 rural communities

4G LTE

July 27, 2022

SaskTel today announced that it is investing approximately $10 million to install Samsung Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment and significantly improve the 4G LTE data capacity of its wireless network serving 30 rural communities. SaskTel has already begun work to upgrade these towers and anticipates the majority of upgrades will be complete by the end of March 2023.

"This investment by SaskTel will ensure residents in these rural communities continue to enjoy high quality and reliable communication services so that they may take full advantage of the economic, social, and educational opportunities the modern world has to offer," said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel.

These upgrades will increase the 4G LTE data capacity in each of the communities by over 100%. The added capacity will ensure that SaskTel wireless customers can continue to fully utilize their smartphones without being slowed by network congestion.

"In addition to enhancing the wireless experience that our customers receive today, these upgrades will lay the foundation for the deployment of 5G in the future as we continue our work to bring the next generation in wireless technology to our customers across the province," said Doug Burnett, SaskTel President and CEO.

In recent years, SaskTel has completed a number of initiatives to enhance its wireless network in rural Saskatchewan. The most notable of these initiatives being Wireless Saskatchewan, a joint program between SaskTel and the Government of Saskatchewan which saw the Crown corporation invest over $107 million to expand its High Speed Fusion Internet network to 34 new towers and improve wireless connectivity throughout the province with the construction of over 190 cell towers in provincial parks, along highways, and rural communities and areas.

These network upgrades are a direct result of SaskTel's commitment to invest more than $1.5 billion of capital across Saskatchewan over the next five years. These investments will ensure Saskatchewan families and businesses continue to have access to some of the best communication and entertainment services available anywhere in the world.

For a full listing of the rural communities receiving 4G LTE data capacity upgrades, please see the appendix below.

About SaskTel

SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with approximately $1.3 billion in annual revenue and over 1.4 million customer connections including more than 647,000 wireless accesses, 273,000 wireline network accesses, 293,000 internet and data accesses, 110,000 maxTV service subscribers, and 78,000 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 3,300 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

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SaskTel Media Relations
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