SaskTel Review: Saskatchewan’s Crown Telco
SaskTel has connected Saskatchewan for nearly 120 years. But is it still the best choice for your home internet, or are newer competitors worth a look? Here is our honest, unbiased breakdown.
What Is SaskTel?
SaskTel is Saskatchewan’s government-owned telecommunications company. As a Crown corporation, it is owned by the people of Saskatchewan through the provincial government, not by private shareholders. That distinction matters because it means SaskTel’s profits flow back into the province rather than to investors in Toronto or New York.
In practical terms, SaskTel is the dominant internet, phone, TV, and wireless provider in Saskatchewan. If you live in the province, there is a very good chance SaskTel is already your provider, or at least one of your top options. The company reported $1.365 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending March 2025, with a net income of $82.2 million. It invested $398.5 million in capital spending that same year, with $108.5 million going directly into expanding its fibre optic network.
The company serves roughly 1.4 million customer connections across the province, including approximately 680,000 wireless subscribers, 293,000 internet and data accounts, 228,000 wireline phone accounts, 107,000 maxTV subscribers, and 68,000 security monitoring customers. With about 3,300 employees, SaskTel is also one of the largest employers in the province.
What does “Crown corporation” actually mean for you? SaskTel returns dividends to the Saskatchewan government ($32.9 million in 2024-25), which helps fund public services. It also means the company is required to serve all of Saskatchewan, including rural and northern communities that a private company might skip because they are not profitable enough. This is one of the key reasons Saskatchewan has better rural connectivity than many other provinces.
A quick history
SaskTel Internet Plans & Pricing (2026)
SaskTel offers two main types of home internet: infiNET (fibre-to-the-home) and interNET (DSL, for areas where fibre is not yet available). The speed and price difference between these two is significant, so the first thing to check is whether infiNET is available at your address using SaskTel’s availability tool.
infiNET Plans (Fibre)
All infiNET plans include unlimited data, 24/7 support, one Wi-Fi gateway, and free basic installation.
Promotional prices shown require a 24-month contract. Month-to-month rates are higher. Save an additional $5/month by bundling with SaskTel wireless, and up to $20/month by bundling internet, TV, and wireless together. Prices as of February 2026.
interNET Plans (DSL, where fibre is not available)
If infiNET is not available at your address, SaskTel offers DSL-based interNET plans. These are significantly slower but still include unlimited data.
- interNET 25 / Extended 25: 25 Mbps download, $55/mo promo ($75/mo regular)
- interNET 50 / Extended 50: 50 Mbps download, $65/mo promo ($85/mo regular)
⚠️ The pricing gap to watch: SaskTel’s promotional prices are competitive, but the regular rates after 24 months jump significantly. For example, infiNET 300 goes from $70 to $105, a $35 increase. When your contract expires, call SaskTel and ask for a new promotional rate before you end up paying full price. For negotiation strategies, see our guide to lowering your internet bill.
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Coverage and Network Expansion
SaskTel’s coverage is the broadest of any ISP in Saskatchewan. Its LTE wireless network reaches over 99% of the province’s population through more than 1,000 cell towers, over 700 of which serve rural areas. For home internet, the picture depends on whether you are in a fibre community or still on DSL.
infiNET Fibre Coverage (as of 2025-26)
As of March 2025, SaskTel’s infiNET fibre network was available in 111 communities across the province, covering more than 77% of Saskatchewan homes and businesses. That number is growing rapidly thanks to two major expansion programs:
The Rural Fibre Initiative: A $280 million program that will bring infiNET to nearly 200 rural communities by the end of 2027. In the current fiscal year (2025-26), SaskTel is expanding fibre to up to 60 additional communities. Once complete, the infiNET network will reach approximately 85% of all Saskatchewan households and businesses.
In 2025, SaskTel launched infiNET in 38 additional communities in a single announcement, including towns like Aberdeen, Arcola, Gravelbourg, Île-à-la-Crosse, La Loche, Spiritwood, Wadena, and Wilkie. Since first launching infiNET in 2011, SaskTel has invested nearly $1 billion in fibre infrastructure.
The Aurora Program: A newer initiative funded in part by up to $139 million from the federal Universal Broadband Fund. Aurora aims to dramatically improve connectivity in northern and Indigenous communities, bringing infiNET to more than 30 underserved communities and building 8 new cell towers in areas like Birch Narrows First Nation, Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, and along Highway 106 (Hanson Lake Road). SaskTel plans to launch infiNET in up to 23 northern and Indigenous communities by the end of March 2026, with the rest expected by March 2027.
Check your address: SaskTel’s fibre availability changes frequently as new communities come online. Even if you checked last year and infiNET was not available, it may be now. Use SaskTel’s Service Availability Tool to check your specific address.
SaskTel 5G Network
SaskTel launched 5G in Regina in late 2021 and has been expanding aggressively since. As of March 2025, the 5G network covers 88% of Saskatchewan’s population with more than 700 tower sites upgraded. SaskTel claims the largest 5G network in Saskatchewan by number of enabled towers, population covered, and landmass reached.
In 2025, SaskTel partnered with Samsung to deploy a cloud-native 4G and 5G Core network, replacing older infrastructure with a modern, software-driven platform. This upgrade lays the foundation for 5G Standalone (SA) in a future phase, which will unlock even lower latency and faster speeds. The 5G network currently delivers speeds up to 1.2 Gbps.
For the 2025-26 fiscal year, SaskTel is investing $111.5 million in wireless infrastructure, including 5 new cell sites and upgrades to more than 170 existing sites serving rural, resort, and First Nations communities, as well as major highway corridors. SaskTel is also rolling out 5G+ (mid-band spectrum at 3500 MHz and 3800 MHz) in Regina, Saskatoon, and select communities for improved speed and capacity.
👍👎 SaskTel Pros and Cons
- Best fibre coverage in SK: 111+ communities and growing fast, including small towns that national carriers would never serve
- Symmetrical upload speeds on infiNET plans (rare in Canada at this price point)
- Unlimited data on all plans, no caps or overage charges
- Crown corporation: Profits stay in Saskatchewan, mandated to serve the whole province
- Bundling discounts across internet, wireless, TV, and phone ($5 to $20/mo savings)
- Free basic installation and included Wi-Fi gateway on all infiNET plans
- Largest 5G network in SK covering 88% of population
- Active rural and northern expansion with $466M invested in 2025-26
- Pricing jumps after promo: Regular rates are $20 to $35/mo higher than promotional prices
- 24-month contracts required for best pricing (month-to-month available but more expensive)
- DSL areas are underserved: If you cannot get infiNET, you are limited to 25 or 50 Mbps
- Limited competition: SaskTel dominates, so there is less pressure to keep prices low
- Customer service reviews are mixed: Some users report multiple price increases per year and difficulty reaching support
- No 2 Gbps or higher residential plans yet (Bell and Telus offer up to 8 Gbps in other provinces)
- Saskatchewan only: Cannot take your plan if you move out of province
⚔️ SaskTel vs the Competition
Saskatchewan has fewer ISP choices than Ontario or BC, but SaskTel is not your only option. Here is how the main alternatives stack up. Click a tab to compare.
| Feature | SaskTel | Access Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Crown Corporation | Co-operative |
| Coverage | Province-wide (225+ communities by 2027) | Regina + 42 communities |
| Technology | Fibre (GPON) + DSL | Fibre + Cable (HFC) |
| Max Residential Speed | 940 Mbps (1 Gig) | Up to 1 Gbps |
| Unlimited Data | ✓ All plans | ✓ Most plans |
| Wireless/Mobile | ✓ Full mobile service | ✗ No mobile |
| TV Service | ✓ maxTV | ✓ Access TV |
| Best For | Province-wide coverage, bundles | Regina residents wanting a local co-op alternative |
Access Communications is a member-owned co-operative serving Regina and 42 communities. If you live in their coverage area, they are a legitimate alternative to SaskTel with competitive fibre speeds and local support. They received CRTC Broadband Fund money to expand in rural SK.
| Feature | SaskTel | FlexNetworks |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Crown Corporation | Private (acquired Redbird Communications) |
| Coverage | Province-wide | Saskatoon + central/western SK (expanding) |
| Technology | Fibre (GPON) + DSL | 100% Fibre |
| Max Residential Speed | 940 Mbps | Up to 2.5 Gbps |
| Unlimited Data | ✓ All plans | ✓ All plans |
| Contracts | 24-month for best price | Month-to-month available |
| Best For | Full-service bundles, provincial reach | Saskatoon residents wanting faster speeds and a competitor option |
FlexNetworks (which acquired Redbird Communications) is building its own fibre network in Saskatoon and expanding across central and western Saskatchewan. They offer residential speeds up to 2.5 Gbps, which is faster than SaskTel’s current 1 Gig cap. If they serve your address, they are worth comparing.
| Feature | SaskTel | Resellers (TekSavvy, oxio) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Network Owner | Wholesale resellers (use SaskTel’s network) |
| Coverage | Province-wide | Varies (expanding under CRTC wholesale fibre rules) |
| Price Advantage | Bundling discounts | Often $10 to $20/mo cheaper, no contract |
| Technology | Fibre + DSL | Same physical network as SaskTel |
| Contracts | 24-month for best price | Month-to-month standard |
| Support | Local SK-based | National (may coordinate with SaskTel for line issues) |
| Best For | People who want full-service, one provider for everything | Budget-conscious users who want lower prices, no contract |
Under CRTC Telecom Regulatory Policy 2024-180, SaskTel is required to provide wholesale fibre access to competitors. This means resellers like TekSavvy and oxio can offer internet on SaskTel’s fibre network at lower prices. Availability in Saskatchewan is still expanding, but it is worth checking if these providers serve your address, especially if you want to avoid a contract.
For a full list of all providers available in Saskatchewan, see our Canadian ISP Directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
SaskTel is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Saskatchewan. It reports through the Crown Investments Corporation to the Minister Responsible for SaskTel (currently Jeremy Harrison). Unlike Bell MTS in Manitoba (which Bell acquired from the Manitoba government in 2017), SaskTel has remained publicly owned. There have been past debates about partial privatization, but as of 2026, SaskTel remains 100% government-owned.
If you are on infiNET fibre, yes. Fibre delivers low latency (typically 5 to 15 ms) and symmetrical speeds, which are the two things that matter most for online gaming. The infiNET 300 or 600 plans are more than enough for serious gaming. If you are stuck on DSL, the experience will be significantly worse. For a detailed gaming comparison, see our Saskatchewan gaming internet guide.
For home internet, no. SaskTel only provides residential and business internet within Saskatchewan. For wireless, SaskTel has roaming agreements with Bell and Telus that let you use your phone across Canada and internationally, but the home internet plans are province-only.
No. All SaskTel residential internet plans, both infiNET and interNET, include unlimited data with no caps or overage charges. This is one area where SaskTel is genuinely competitive, as some national carriers still impose soft caps or throttle heavy users.
SaskTel’s Rural Fibre Initiative is bringing infiNET to nearly 200 communities by the end of 2027. The Aurora Program is adding 30+ northern and Indigenous communities on a similar timeline. Use SaskTel’s availability checker to see if your community is on the list. If your town is not included yet, you can contact SaskTel directly to ask about future plans for your area.
Yes, but you will pay more. SaskTel offers month-to-month pricing on all plans at the regular (non-promotional) rate. For example, infiNET 300 is $70/mo on a 24-month contract but $105/mo without one. You can also look into resellers like TekSavvy or oxio that use SaskTel’s network and typically offer month-to-month plans at lower prices.
Opinions are mixed. SaskTel historically scores better than the national Big Three (Bell, Rogers, Telus) in customer satisfaction, partly because of its local, Saskatchewan-based support team. However, recent reviews on PlanHub and Reddit suggest some frustration with price increases, hold times, and difficulty reaching support. As a Crown corporation, SaskTel does tend to be more transparent than private carriers, but it is not immune to the same service challenges that affect all large telecoms.
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About This Review
Written and fact-checked by the InternetAdvice.ca editorial team. Financial data sourced from SaskTel’s 2024-25 Annual Report and quarterly filings. Coverage and expansion details verified against SaskTel press releases and CRTC regulatory decisions. Internet plan pricing confirmed against sasktel.com as of February 2026. We have no affiliate relationship with SaskTel or any provider mentioned in this review. Last updated February 2026.