SaskTel announced on Jan. 4 that it has recently launched six new macro cell towers bringing 4G LTE wireless service to previously underserved rural parts of the province. These new towers are located near the communities of Ebenezer, Gray, Jedburgh, Lajord, Pasqua, and Petrofka. In addition, SaskTel also upgraded the 4G LTE data capacity on its towers serving 23 rural communities including Bengough, Cando, Climax, Dysart, Grenfell, Invermay, Kipling, La Rong, Lafleche, Langbank, Macklin, Moosomin, Preeceville, Rapid View, Shell Lake, Silver Lake, Silver Park, Spiritwood, Springside, St. Walburg, Wadena, Watrous and Wolseley.
鈥淥ur government understands how important communication services have become in the modern world, especially in rural and remote areas,鈥� said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel, in a release. 鈥淭hrough the Wireless Saskatchewan initiative, and thanks to the efforts of SaskTel, we鈥檙e raising the level of connectivity in rural and remote parts of the province so that our residents are better equipped to compete and succeed in the modern world.鈥�
鈥淎s illustrated by a recent report from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Saskatchewan already has the best wireless coverage in Western Canada, with over 99 per cent of the population and 98 per cent of the major roadways and highways being covered with LTE wireless service,鈥� said Doug Burnett, SaskTel President and CEO. 鈥淎nd, with the addition of these new towers, wireless coverage in Saskatchewan is getting even better.鈥�
These towers are part of the final phase of the Wireless Saskatchewan initiative, which will see SaskTel invest over $70 million to construct 74 macro cell towers in rural parts of the province. Once the final phase of the program is complete, SaskTel鈥檚 wireless network will grow to include more than 1,000 cell towers, over 700 of which being located in rural parts of the province.
SaskTel anticipates that all of the cell towers to be constructed as part of the Wireless Saskatchewan initiative will be complete by early Summer 2021.
Burnett said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e firmly committed to be the best at connecting the people of Saskatchewan, and it鈥檚 this commitment that drives us to continue to invest in our networks so that our customers have access to the services they need to stay in touch with what matters most to them from almost anywhere in the province.鈥�
