SaskTel, SaskPower and Cameco join to deliver fibre backbone for northeastern Saskatchewan
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA--(Apr. 26, 2013) -
A venture involving SaskTel, SaskPower and Cameco will provide a new fibre network and power facilities to northeastern Saskatchewan. This will open northern Saskatchewan to a number of new SaskTel services and bring high-speed bandwidth to all of Cameco’s operating sites from La Ronge to Collins Bay. The Northern Fibre Expansion project consists of 566 km of new fibre placement by SaskTel and SaskPower through a larger fibre transfer agreement. The total communications cost of the project is valued at $29.6 million and Cameco has agreed to provide $8 million to SaskTel for the project.
High speed broadband is becoming a critical component of economic growth and business operations. Saskatchewan’s current telecommunications infrastructure in northeastern Saskatchewan needs to be enhanced to meet demand. This expansion of fibre into the north will create a foundation for future growth.
“Bringing fibre to the northeast will ensure that residents and businesses have access to world class communications infrastructure,” said Don McMorris, Minister responsible for SaskTel. “This is an example of how we can work together with the private sector to ensure the continued prosperity of Saskatchewan and build on the Saskatchewan advantage.”
“SaskTel realizes that high-speed broadband capacity has become a critical component of business operations in northeastern Saskatchewan and fibre is necessary to meet the expected demand,” said Ron Styles, SaskTel President and CEO. “This fibre build will open the northeast to a number of new SaskTel services including gigabit transport to mines and 5 Mbps service to residents resulting in substantial communications support for economic development.”
“SaskPower is committed to investing responsibly to ensure that our customers have the power they need – now and into the future,” said SaskPower President and CEO Robert Watson. “This new transmission line will help to meet a growing demand for electricity in Saskatchewan’s far north and we are pleased that as part of this project, we will be able to partner with SaskTel to create efficiencies for our customers.” Fibre optic cables carry critical communications for control of the electricity network.
“This project is a good investment for Cameco,” said Tim Gitzel, Cameco’s CEO. “We’ll improve efficiency at our northern Saskatchewan locations. On a more personal level, we also think it will help retain good employees by making it easier for them to stay in touch with friends and family back home.”
About SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.2 billion in annual revenue and over 1.4 million customer connections including over 607,000 wireless accesses, 492,000 wireline network accesses, 250,000 internet accesses and 97,000 Max™ (TV) subscribers. SaskTel offers a wide range of communications products and services including competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment, security monitoring, messaging, cellular, wireless data and directory services. In addition, SaskTel International offers software solutions and project consulting in countries around the world. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.
About SaskPower
Powering Saskatchewan since 1929, SaskPower is proud to support continued growth across the province, and provide safe, reliable and sustainable power to our 490,000 customers. SaskPower will spend an estimated $10 billion over the next 10 years to maintain and improve existing infrastructure. With a rapidly developing economy and the second largest service area in Canada, renewing our electricity system and providing world-leading customer service are corporate priorities.
About Cameco
Cameco, with its head office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is one of the world’s largest uranium producers. The company’s uranium products are used to generate electricity in nuclear energy plants around the world, providing one of the cleanest sources of energy available today. Cameco’s shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
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For more information, please contact:
Michelle Englot, SaskTel Director of External Communications
Phone: (306) 777-4476
E-mail: michelle.englot@sasktel.com