Today SaskTel announced plans to invest approximately $4.6 million to significantly improve the data capacity of 37 towers serving rural Saskatchewan by the end of March 2019.  The full list of towers to be upgraded can be found below.“SaskTel is fully committed to providing the people of Saskatchewan with fast and reliable communication services,” said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel.  “When SaskTel invests in network improvements like these, they are enhancing the ability we have to connect with each other and the world around us.”Through this investment, SaskTel will add more LTE carriers to each of the 37 towers, increasing their LTE data capacity by up to 100%.  This added capacity will ensure that customers can continue to fully utilize their wireless devices without being slowed down by network congestion.

“Year over year, the demand for wireless service continues to grow at an astonishing pace,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel Acting President and CEO.  “Through strategic investments, we are able to stay ahead of the ever-growing demands on our network while continuing to plan for future enhancements.”

In recent years, SaskTel has completed a number of initiatives to enhance the wireless network in Saskatchewan.  Most notably, in 2016/17 SaskTel invested over $11 million to expand LTE service to 99% of the population of the province.

These network improvements are part of SaskTel’s commitment to invest approximately $301 million of capital in Saskatchewan in 2018/19 and over $1.4 billion over the next five years.

WIRELESS TOWER TO BE UPGRADED
ALIDA KERROBERT
ASSINIBOIA LESTOCK
CARRY THE KETTLE NAKODA NATION MEADOW LAKE
BREDENBURY MELVILLE
BIG RIVER NAICAM
CARON NETHERHILL
CARONPORT OUNGRE
CARROT RIVER ONION LAKE
DENHOLM OUTLOOK
DAVIDSON OUTRAM
FLAXCOMBE PLENTY
FORT A LA CORNE PINEHOUSE
GULL LAKE PREECEVILLE
GEORGE GORDON FIRST NATION ROCANVILLE
GRIFFIN SANDY BAY
HUDSON BAY SHAUNAVON
HARRIS STRASBOURG
ILE-A-LA-CROSSE WOLLASTON LAKE
KELVINGTON

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 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 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