(Submitted photo/SaskTel)

By Ben Tompkins

Rural Fibre Initiative

Several north and north central communities included in phase four of SaskTel infiNET initiative

Dec 6, 2021 | 12:00 PM

Several north and north-central communities will soon be receiving access to SaskTel infiNET services.

This comes after SaskTel recently announced its fourth phase of its $100 million Rural Fibre Initiative.

La Loche, Preeceville, Buffalo Narrows, Macklin, Carrot River, Osler, Shellbrook, Dalmeny, Île-à-la-Crosse, Unity and Wadena have all been announced as a part of the 24 communities included in phase four.

The other 13 communities include Assiniboia, Dundurn, Foam Lake, Lanigan, Regina Beach (Includes Buena Vista and Kinookimaw), Caronport, Gravelbourg, Rocanville, Gull Lake, Outlook, Davidson, Kipling and Oxbow.

SaskTel plans to begin construction in these communities next year and expects to have the majority of residents and businesses fibre ready by the end of 2023.

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“The need for connectivity continues to grow at a rapid pace,” said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “Through SaskTel’s Rural Fibre Initiative, tens of thousands of rural Saskatchewan families and businesses will gain access to advanced fibre-optic broadband infrastructure better enabling them to connect and thrive in the modern world.”

“Delivering speeds of up to a Gigabit per second, our infiNET service ensures SaskTel customers have the bandwidth they need to utilize the latest digital tools and technologies,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel President and CEO. “In addition, upgrading our network to fibre provides us with a more flexible platform in these communities that can quickly grow to meet customers’ evolving needs.”

“As the Irrigation Capital of Saskatchewan, the Town of Outlook has been engaging in creating strategies to attract and retain business in our community,” said Maureen Weiterman, Mayor of the Town of Outlook. “Outlook’s businesses require the tools to connect to the rest of the world with the most current technology available. SaskTel’s plan to include Outlook in its Rural Fibre Initiative provides a fundamental piece that we need to continue to be a business-friendly community.”

Originally announced in 2020, the Rural Fibre Initiative is a multi-phase program that will bring SaskTel infiNET service to over 60,000 residents and businesses spread across 45 rural communities by the end of 2023.

The communities to receive infiNET service in the first three phases of the Rural Fibre Initiative include:

• Phase 1 – Balgonie, Biggar, Langham and Pilot Butte. SaskTel anticipates the majority of homes and businesses in all four communities will be fibre ready by the end of March 2022.

• Phase 2 – Kindersley, Meadow Lake, and Rosetown. Construction has already started in Kindersley and will soon begin in Meadow Lake, and Rosetown.

• Phase 3 – Canora, Carlyle, Esterhazy, Fort Qu’Appelle, Hudson Bay, Indian Head, Kamsack, La Ronge, Lumsden, Maple Creek, Moosomin, Shaunavon, Watrous, and Wynyard.

SaskTel plans to begin construction in these communities in 2022.

For more information about infiNET service, you can visit the SaskTel website.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @BenTompkins_8