The Big Island Cree Territory -just east of Cold Lake in Saskatchewan near Pierceland- is one of fourty six First Nations communities getting internet upgrades from Sasktel.
Sasktel says the First Nation’s current service of 1.5 Mbps download speeds will be more than tripled to 5. The upgrades are being undertaken in nearly fifty First Nations communities around the province over this year and the next.
“The Government of Saskatchewan knows that all people of this province require access to fast and reliable communications services,” said Dustin Duncan, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “By upgrading the Internet service in these Indigenous communities, SaskTel is creating more opportunities for Indigenous people to access commerce, employment and educational opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.”
“SaskTel understands that Indigenous and First Nations people of our province play an integral role in the success of Saskatchewan and we remain committed to providing the latest technological solutions to these communities to ensure that they have equitable access to modern communication services and the opportunities that those services provide,” said Ron Styles, SaskTel President and CEO.
The upgrades are part of the company’s plan to spend 1.4 billion dollars on projects throughout Saskatchewan between 2016 and 2021.