On May 16, SaskTel announced that it will invest $331 million in Saskatchewan in 2016-2017 as part of its intended $1.4 billon investment over the next five years.
The investment will ensure SaskTel customers in Saskatchewan continue to receive some of the best communications services in the world including maxTV, Internet, data and future IPbased services through its “industry leading” 4G/LTE and infiNET networks, according to a SaskTel release.
“Our government remains focused on growing the province and SaskTel’s investment in infrastructure is a testament to that commitment,” said Jim Reiter, minister responsible for Sask- Tel. “Throughout SaskTel’s history it has continued to accomplish technological firsts and deliver networks and services that exceed many other areas of the country.”
“SaskTel is in the business of making it easy for people to connect to one another and to the world and our substantial investment in our core networks enables those connections,” said Ron Styles, SaskTel president and CEO.
“Staying current with our technological investments and upgrading our networks is critical in delivering worldclass products and services to our customers and for ensuring the future success of the company.”
Highlights of this year’s core Saskatchewan investment program includes:
• In 2016-17, SaskTel will invest $51 million in its Fibre to the Premises Program (FTTP).
• Bringing infiNET to Saskatchewan consumers is a $670 million 12-year program announced in 2012 which targets to have 100 per cent of homes in the nine major centres in the province passed by 2022. In 2016-17, the FTTP program will pass over 16,000 homes with a focus of connecting 15,500 more customers to infi- NET in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Swift Current, Weyburn and Estevan.
• Fibre optics will allow SaskTel to deploy download speeds up to 260 Mbps initially, with the capacity to significantly increase speeds over time. Customers will be able to enjoy faster download and upload speeds which will enhance the online experience streaming video, uploading photos or videos, or participating in real-time gaming and video chat.
• In 2016-17, SaskTel will invest $45.9 million for wireless network enhancements. This includes:
$33.5 million for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) expansion. The 4G LTE network will provide increased data speeds approximately five times faster than the current 4G network allowing customers to stream HD movies, high quality video and music, share pictures and videos, game faster than ever before and download applications lightning fast. $3.1 million for SaskTel Select Wi-Fi deployment which by the end of 2016-17 will have 2,380 hotspots free to SaskTel customers in the province. $9.3 million for wireless network demand and growth including $1 million for LTE-TDD Fusion capacity enhancements.
• In 2016-17, SaskTel will invest $91.6 million on a number of initiatives to meet wireline network growth.
Key initiatives include:
Network modernization- $14.9 million;
Access and Core Demand and Growth - $42.7 million;
Rural ethernet transport improvements– $12.6 million;
Community participation programs and partnerships -$8.1 million ;
maxTV Growth - $9.5 million; and
Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) - $3.8 million;
• In 2016-17, SaskTel will invest $19.6M in expanding network capabilities
Network convergence -$2.5 million; and
Switch upgrades and network intelligence improvements - $17.1 million.
• SaskTel will also invest $123M to improve customer services through new IT platforms and service enhancements:
Key initiatives include the implementation of a customer self-serve platform and an updated facilities management systems to inventory and assign facilities for service delivery to satisfy customer requests to add, change and move wireline, IP and fibre optic network services; and
Completion of the new Tier III Data Centre in Saskatoon.
