Hyper-fast wireless connectivity continues to expand and grow across the province as SaskTel works to provide all residents with 5G network access.

Included in the latest upgrade of 49 communities are Maple Creek, Gull Lake, and Waldeck.  

External Communications Manager for the Crown corporation, Greg Jacobs, is excited for customers to connect to the world faster. 

"We're starting to see the increase of smart devices in homes and in cars, and really permeating all aspects of life," he said. "You need a network that can handle all of those connections and provide reliable connectivity to those devices in order for them to function."

Upgrading the province to the fifth generation is the largest capital expenditure program SaskTel has taken on in its 116 years. 

For the Crown corporation, investing around $600 million is well worth it to create easier access to remote healthcare, distance learning, and agriculture opportunities.

"At the end of the day, what we're building is the foundation," he said. "Everything is reliant on connectivity. And so, we're laying the foundation that future technologies will rely on and will be built upon; similar to how things evolved after 4G was introduced, we'd expect technologies and services and solutions to evolve as 5G becomes more prevalent in society."

5g coverage for the southwestA map of the current 5G network in the southwest