Released on July 12, 2007
Residents and visitors to Regina's Downtown, Old Warehouse and 13th Avenue business districts can now access the Internet free-of-charge using the Saskatchewan! Connected wireless network. Advanced Education and Employment Minister Warren McCall made the announcement today in Regina on behalf of Minister responsible for Information Technology Frank Quennell. "Saskatchewan! Connected will benefit businesses and visitors, and will be of particular interest to the growing number of young people choosing to work, live and build their future in Saskatchewan," McCall said. "It will also help our province build on its economic and population growth momentum."
Saskatchewan! Connected means users will no longer have to switch from service to service as they roam around the coverage area. It will also help to bridge the ‘digital divide' by providing no-cost Internet access to residents living in close proximity to Regina's downtown core who may be unable to afford monthly rates for Internet services. Any existing desktop or laptop computer can be configured with a Wi-Fi adaptor for under $100 and then connected quickly and conveniently to the free service.
As a publicly-accessible network, special provisions have been made to prevent access to inappropriate materials.
"Saskatchewan! Connected will be the largest free wireless network in Canada, demonstrating once again that Saskatchewan is a leader in innovation and technology advancement," McCall said. "It builds upon our already extensive information technology infrastructure, which is providing high-speed access to 86 per cent of Saskatchewan citizens."
The service will soon be available in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and Saskatoon as well. Public and expanded student access on university and SIAST campuses in all four cities will be up and running in time for the new school year in September. The initiative offers users basic Internet service via a wireless Wi-Fi based network operated by the government Information Technology Office and designed and deployed by SaskTel using technology manufactured by Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking.
The capital cost of installing and acquiring the network components in the four centres was $1.3 million, with annual operating costs of $339,000.
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For more information, contact:
Richard Murray
Information Technology Office
Regina
Phone: 306-787-9586
Email: rmurray@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-536-4758