Here we grow again; SaskTel begins launching its ultra-fast infiNET network in Maidstone and 10 other rural communities

December 6, 2024

Photo is courtesy of the Town of Maidstone.

Today, SaskTel announced it recently began launching SaskTel infiNET™ service in the communities of Buena Vista, Clavet, Foam Lake, Grand Coulee, Kinookimaw, Lampman, Maidstone, Regina Beach, Rockglen, Shellbrook and Waldheim. Delivering ultra-fast internet speeds, SaskTel’s infiNET service will revolutionize the way residents in these communities work, learn, and connect for years to come.

“Our government recognizes the critical role that broadband connectivity plays in ensuring the health and well-being of our people and communities,” said Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “The ongoing expansion of SaskTel’s fibre optic broadband network will provide rural residents with better access to remote learning and work opportunities, further enhancing quality of life and creating a stronger and more prosperous economic future for Saskatchewan.”

SaskTel infiNET service delivers internet speeds of up to a Gigabit per second (Gbps), allowing subscribers to browse, stream, and share content faster than ever before. Additionally, SaskTel will be able to increase the capacity of the infiNET network to meet the evolving needs of customers.

“With this latest expansion, our infiNET network is now connecting customers in 80 communities all across the province” said Charlene Gavel, SaskTel President and CEO. “Whether our customers use infiNET service to access education or health resources, game online, or just to stay in touch with loved ones, as Saskatchewan’s homegrown communications leader, we are proud to invest in the technologies and networks that empower our customers to connect to what matters most to them.”

The expansion of infiNET service to Buena Vista, Clavet, Foam Lake, Grand Coulee, Kinookimaw, Lampman, Maidstone, Regina Beach, Shellbrook and Waldheim is part of SaskTel’s Rural Fibre Initiative. The Rural Fibre Initiative is a multi-phase program that will see SaskTel invest $280 million to bring infiNET service to nearly 200 rural communities. Once the announced phases of the Rural Fibre Initiative are complete, SaskTel’s infiNET network will reach nearly 85% of all Saskatchewan households and businesses.

The Rural Fibre Initiative is just one of the avenues through which SaskTel is expanding its infiNET network. SaskTel’s deployment of infiNET service to Rockglen was made possible through a partnership with South Saskatchewan Ready (SSR). Through the partnership, SSR invested nearly $2 million of funding they secured from Prairies Economic Development Canada (Prairies Can) to bring infiNET service to the communities of Bengough, Coronach, Rockglen, and Willow Bunch.

SaskTel anticipates the majority of homes in the announced communities will be converted to infiNET service by the end of January 2025. Due to their diverse needs and varying complexities, it will take several months before all business customers and multi-dwelling units will be able to convert to infiNET service. Customers are encouraged to use SaskTel’s Service Availability Tool to check if they are ready to be upgraded to infiNET service.

Since first launching infiNET service in 2011, SaskTel has invested nearly a billion dollars to expand the network to thousands of Saskatchewan homes and businesses. The continued expansion of the infiNET network is a direct result of SaskTel's commitment to invest nearly $440 million of capital throughout Saskatchewan in 2024/25 and more than $2 billion over the next five years. These investments will help to ensure Saskatchewan remains one of the most well-connected province’s in the country.

To learn more about infiNET service, please visit www.sasktel.com/infinet.

About SaskTel

SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) provider in Saskatchewan, with over $1.3 billion in annual revenue and approximately 1.4 million customer connections including nearly 670,000 wireless accesses, 242,000 wireline network accesses, 292,000 internet and data accesses, 111,000 maxTV service subscribers, and 72,000 security monitoring customers. SaskTel offers a wide range of ICT products and services including competitive voice, data and Internet services, wireless data services, maxTV services, data centre services, cloud-based services, security monitoring services, advertising services, and international software and consulting services. Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.