3G from SaskTel due in August

Saskatchewan-based full service communications provider SaskTel has announced the launch of the first phase of its new 3G wireless network. The company is running technical trials with around 100 employees over the next six weeks in preparation for a commercial launch scheduled for 16 August. At launch the service will be available to subscribers in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Yorkton, Swift Current, Prince Albert, North Battleford and most of the connecting highways, offering peak download speeds of up to 21Mbps. The company plans to have the full network deployed province-wide by the end of 2010. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, CEO Robert Watson said: ‘This technology will give each and every person in Saskatchewan access to the best technology in the world…Before we were behind. Now we are ahead of our competitors.’ The operator plans to continue operating its existing CDMA network alongside the new network in the short- to medium-term. However, Watson added, ‘This initiative is a significant network project as it ensures a smoother transition to 4G wireless technology known as long term evolution (LTE) [in the future].’