SaskTel announced it will invest $199 million in its Saskatchewan network in 2011 and approximately $670 million in a seven-year Next Generation Broadband Access Program (2011 - 2017). This program will deploy Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) and upgrade the broadband network in the nine largest urban centres in the province - Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Estevan, Swift Current, Yorkton, North Battleford and Prince Albert.
"Since the beginning of 2008, we've invested approximately $800 million in our network," SaskTel President and CEO Ron Styles said. "Our ongoing network investment allows us to be the best at connecting people to their world by providing the best customer experience through our superior networks, exceptional service, advanced solutions and applications."
Residential and business customers in communities across the province can expect improved and expanded SaskTel services as a result of this latest major capital investment. The investment will ensure SaskTel customers in Saskatchewan continue to receive some of the best wireless, Max, internet, data and future IP-based services in the world.
In 2011, SaskTel will invest $16 million in its Next Generation Broadband Access Program. This includes DSL sustainment and FTTP deployment which targets to have 100 per cent of homes in the nine major centres in the province passed by 2017. SaskTel will begin servicing residences in Regina and Saskatoon with FTTP technology this year.
Fiber to the Premises will offer speeds that far exceed those of SaskTel's current network and will allow SaskTel to deploy speeds up to 200 Mbps initially, with the capacity to significantly increase speeds over time. Customers will enjoy faster download and upload speeds to enhance the online experience when downloading or streaming video, uploading photos and videos and participating in real-time gaming and video chat. Extending Fiber to the Premises will also support more HD capable set top boxes, the ability to combine faster internet speeds with Max and allow SaskTel to continue improving the TV watching experience.
