Sask-watch: 'Big-footprint' seen in prairies

The government of Saskatchewan announced yesterday that high speed internet access will be extended to all rural communities in the prairie province within three years under a new CAD129 million (USD105 million) infrastructure rollout plan. Regional incumbent telco SaskTel’s fixed broadband network footprint will be expanded to cover 100% of the population, up from 86% currently, via an expansion of the existing CommunityNet high speed network, and a partnership with a satellite firm in order to provide access to the most remote areas; rural backbone infrastructure will also be upgraded. In addition, 50 new mobile base stations will be added to SaskTel’s cellular network to raise coverage to 98% of Saskatchewan’s population, up from the current 96%. The provincial government is providing CAD90 million for the infrastructure projects, while CAD39 million is to come from the Crown Corporation’s budget.