Residents in Cabri are receiving some upgrades from SaskPower and SaskTel.

The Crown Corporations are partnering up to not only replace some aging power poles but also to string up some new lines to bring fibre internet to the community. 

The estimated cost of this project is $1.1 million and is part of a larger $280 million effort to upgrade rural Sask. communities from broadband services.

The advantages of fibre over broadband are hard to put into perspective with how massive a leap it is. SaskTel spokesperson, Greg Jacobs, explains how even at its lowest end, it easily surpasses the copper-based broadband system.

"Really, the limiting factor with fibre optic technology is the electronics at either end that translate that signal into a usable Internet signal," said Jacobs.

Like going from horse and buggy to the starship Enterprise, the speed of fibre-optic internet is literally light speed. The fibre optic cable transmits a wavelength of light across the length of the cable. This means that in the future, to get faster internet, it will be up to the hardware at either end of the line to translate it back into data faster than previous equipment. The lines themselves will be nearly impossible to make faster. 

SaskTel is planning to install these upgrades in 193 smaller centres. This work will take years, but in the end will mean that the advantages of high-speed internet will be present throughout the province, rather than just major city spaces. 

SaskTel will be offering its 'Infininet' fibre internet packages in Cabri by the end of the year, depending on how the work plays out. If anyone has any questions about the work, they are encouraged to visit this SaskTel webpage.