REGINA – SaskTel will roll out its own new 3G+ wireless network in Saskatchewan next month, the company announced Tuesday.
The new next generation wireless network will be compatible with approximately 80% of all networks across the world, and international roaming customers will be able to use their SaskTel 3G+ phone on 3G+ networks anywhere the company has established roaming agreements, the announcement continued. A six week technical trial with select employees is underway, and commercial availability for customers in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Yorkton, Swift Current, Prince Albert, North Battleford and most of the connecting highways is scheduled for August 16, 2010.
“We want to ensure that we are delivering the highest quality network to our customers so we are beginning our deployment with a technical trial,” said president and CEO Robert Watson, in a statement. “The 3G+ network build is one of the biggest network projects in SaskTel history and our employees have gone above and beyond to deliver it in record time.”
SaskTel said that it will offer the BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Pearl 9100, Nokia 7230, Nokia 6350 and a Novatel MC998D USB data stick. The announcement also said that the company “continues to work to secure the iPhone as part of our device line-up for the commercial launch”.
The full 3G+ network is scheduled to be deployed province-wide by the end of 2010. SaskTel said that it will support its existing CDMA digital network “for the foreseeable future” and offer customers a choice of devices for both the existing CDMA network and the new 3G+ network.
