By TERRY PUGH
Residents and businesses in Osler will now be able to access SaskTel’s high-speed broadband internet services.
SaskTel officially launched its trademarked ‘infiNET’ service in Osler, Assiniboia, Coronach, Davidson, Dundurn and Kyle at a press conference at the Osler Community Hall on Wednesday, September 11.
The communities are the latest to be included in the provincially-owned crown corporation’s ‘Rural Fibre Initiative’, aimed at providing residents and businesses province-wide with access to high-speed broadband internet through SaskTel.
SaskTel President and CEO Charlene Gavel said SaskTel is committed to providing customers with cutting-edge digital tools and technology.
“Through the Rural Fibre Initiative, SaskTel is investing $280 million to bring the amazing speed and power of our fibre optic broadband network to residents and businesses across the province,” said Gavel. “By the time the initiative is complete we will have invested over a billion dollars to bring infiNET services to 85 per cent of all households and businesses in Saskatchewan.”
Gavel said the fibre optic initiative isn’t just about infrastructure.
“It’s really about empowering the people of Saskatchewan by providing easier and more reliable access to information and to the world as a whole,” she said. “This important initiative will benefit rural customers who take advantage of the technology and the opportunities to grow and succeed for years to come.”
Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement Terry Jenson, who is also the MLA for Martensville-Warman, said the deployment of SaskTel’s “world-class 5G and fibre optic broadband networks to communities across Saskatchewan is creating new opportunities in sectors like health care, education, and agriculture.”
Jenson said broadband internet service “is essential to supporting the quality of life that we enjoy in Saskatchewan today,” adding it enables students to access online learning and participate in distance education programs not available at their local schools.
He added that having the new fibre optic network available in Osler will make it more attractive to families considering moving there, and also for businesses looking to invest.
The infiNET service delivers internet speeds of up to a Gigabit per second. Gavel said customers can choose different internet speed packages appropriate to their needs.
SaskTel is committed to investing nearly $440 million in capital projects throughout Saskatchewan in 2024-25 and over $2 billion over the next five years.
Osler is among 34 rural communities included in Phase 5 of SaskTel’s seven-phase plan for installing infiNET infrastructure across the province. Gavel said the number of projects completed per year depends on the size of the communities.
Gavel noted the fibre optic cables have all been installed underground within Osler.
“The digging is done,” she said. “We’re ready to connect to the homes.”
SaskTel’s fibre optic high speed internet service is not the first to arrive in Osler. Access Communications launched a similar service in October, 2023.
Osler Mayor Abe Quiring said having a choice of high quality speed internet providers is good for the community.