On Wednesday, SaskTel — an Information and Communications Technology provider in Saskatchewan — revealed plans to increase its investment in the government’s multi-phase wireless initiative by more than US$52.5 million. The carrier plans to build 74 new macro cell towers in underserved rural and resort communities by early summer 2021.
“In 2017, our government launched the Wireless Saskatchewan initiative, which has provided nearly 200 new towers in rural areas,” Minister Responsible for SaskTel Don Morgan said. “It is a top priority to enhance access to communications services in rural Saskatchewan.”
According to the release, SaskTel has invested over US$80 million in connecting rural communities over the last three years. Once the 74 towers are built, completing the program’s final phase, SaskTel’s wireless network will grow to include approximately 1,000 cell towers province-wide.
In earlier phases, SaskTel invested US$3.15 million to build 34 new towers, expanding its High-Speed Fusion Internet network, and spent US$12 million to build sites in 105 rural communities. The company also installed 15 new towers over 350-feet high each, with a price tag of US$10.5 million, and invested US$1.1 million to improve data capacity in 11 resort communities via existing sites.
“We are very proud to continue expanding our cellular network to more rural communities, increasingly busy highway corridors, and resorts to provide world-class wireless services,” SaskTel President/CEO Doug Burnett said. “These new towers will help to bolster and add capacity to our network so that we can continue to meet the ever-growing demand for wireless data.”
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