REGINA – SaskTel will build a 4G cellular tower at Southend next year with the help of financial contributions from several corporations and community organizations in the area.
This partnership is based on SaskTel’s community participation model which allows communities to raise funds to cover the shortfall when it is not economically feasible for SaskTel to finance a new cellular site alone. The telco’s economic analysis for Southend, which is in the northeastern part of Saskatchewan on the southern shores of Reindeer Lake, took into account the overall cost of the tower site ($1.3 million), operating expenses over the first five years, and the anticipated revenues, which resulted in a shortfall of $209,000.
Uranium company Cameco provided $100,000 in funding, while the other financial partners include Areva, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Child and Family Services, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Health Services, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Education, Northern Settlement of Southend and Nordic Lodge.
“SaskTel is aware of the high demand among rural and remote communities for wireless service,” said president and CEO Ron Styles, in the announcement. “Our community participation model makes it possible for smaller communities to join together and partner with us so they can have access to our world-class wireless network.”
SaskTel said that it expects that the new tower will be in place in early 2013.
