SASKTEL EXTENDS 3G+ WIRELESS COVERAGE TO 10 MORE LOCATIONS

SaskTel has expanded its 3G+ wireless network to 10 more locations across the province of Saskatchewan.

"Construction of the 3G+ network is a significant development for SaskTel and its customers in Saskatchewan," Minister responsible for SaskTel Bill Boyd said. "When the network is complete in 2011 it will be available to 98 per cent of the population."

"Our 3G+ wireless network delivers increased bandwidth, greater international roaming and a wider selection of wireless devices," SaskTel President and CEO Ron Styles said. "3G+ is the new industry standard and will enable SaskTel to make a smooth transition to future generations of wireless technology."

The 10 tower locations, along with 3G+ coverage details, are:

• Calder: provides coverage to the village of Calder, the area west of Yorkton, and along the Manitoba border.
• Esterhazy K2 Mine: improves coverage at the Mosaic K2 potash mine site east of Esterhazy.
• Kelvington: provides coverage to the town of Kelvington and the surrounding area including highways 38 and 49.
• La Ronge: provides coverage to the town of La Ronge and the surrounding area including Air Ronge and highways 2 and 102.
• Madge Lake and Kamsack Rural: provides coverage to the Duck Mountain Provincial Park area.
• Molanosa: provides coverage to the area southwest of La Ronge near the junction of highways 2 and 165.
• Oungre: provides coverage to the area west of Estevan including highways 18 and 35.
• Regina Harbour Landing: improves coverage in the Harbour Landing area of Regina.
• Swift Current Northeast: improves 3G+ and CDMA coverage in the northeast part of the City of Swift Current including Cypress Regional Hospital.

The 3G+ network provides increased bandwidth with download speeds approximately four times faster than existing speeds (up to 21 megabits per second). It is also compatible with approximately 80 per cent of all networks across the world and international roaming customers will be able to use their SaskTel 3G+ device on 3G+ networks anywhere.

The current SaskTel 3G+ device line-up includes:

• BlackBerry® Torch^TM 9800
• BlackBerry® Bold^TM 9780
• BlackBerry® Curve^TM 9300
• BlackBerry® Pearl^TM 9100
• LG Optimus Quantum^TM
• LG Rumour Plus^TM
• LG Flick^TM
• Nokia C6
• Nokia 7230 
• Nokia 6350 
• Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant^TM
• Samsung Gravity Touch
• Samsung Gravity® 3
• Samsung Rugby^TM II
• Novatel MC998D Mobile Internet Stick
• Novatel Mi-Fi 2372 Mobile Hotspot

SaskTel plans to support the existing CDMA digital network for the foreseeable future to ensure that all wireless customers continue to enjoy a full selection of wireless services that best suit their needs. Customers can now choose from a wide range of devices for both the existing CDMA network and the new 3G+ network.

About SaskTel

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.15 billion in annual revenue and more than 1.4 million customer connections including more than 560,000 wireless accesses, 543,000 wireline network accesses, 225,000 Internet accesses and 83,000 Max^TM (TV) subscribers. SaskTel offers a wide range of communications products and services including competitive voice, data, Internet, entertainment, national security, messaging, cellular, wireless data and directory services. In addition, SaskTel International offers software solutions and project consulting in countries around the world. In 2009, SaskTel contributed more than $651 million to the Saskatchewan economy through dollars spent with Saskatchewan-based suppliers and sponsorships to non-profit organizations. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,800 employees. Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com.

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For more information, contact:

Andy Tate
SaskTel
Regina
Phone: 306-777-4548
Email: andy.tate@sasktel.sk.ca
Cell: 306-537-1226