Federal funding will help connect more than 30,000 homes and strengthen digital access for Saskatchewan farmers and rural businesses.
Farmers and rural residents across Saskatchewan could soon gain improved access to high-speed Internet following a major federal funding announcement aimed at expanding broadband connectivity throughout the province.
The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, announced more than $141 million in funding that will support projects designed to bring reliable high-speed Internet service to underserved rural and remote communities across Saskatchewan.
The investment is expected to help connect more than 30,000 homes in over 500 communities, improving access to a service that has become increasingly important for modern agriculture, business operations and everyday life.
According to the federal government, Saskatchewan has made significant progress in broadband access over the last several years. Currently, 89.2 per cent of Saskatchewan households have access to high-speed Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second download and 10 megabits per second upload (50/10 Mbps+). This represents a substantial increase from 45.4 per cent of households that had access to those speeds in 2017.
Government projections suggest that by the end of 2026, approximately 92.2 per cent of Saskatchewan households will have access to broadband service meeting the 50/10 Mbps standard.
For Saskatchewan farmers, improved connectivity can provide benefits that extend well beyond faster web browsing. High-speed Internet has become critical for precision agriculture technologies, cloud-based farm management systems, livestock monitoring, weather forecasting tools, equipment diagnostics and digital record-keeping.
Many agricultural operations also rely on broadband access to submit regulatory reports, participate in online training, communicate with suppliers and customers, access market information, and manage financial transactions.
The funding is being delivered through the Universal Broadband Fund, a federal program created to improve Internet access in rural, remote and Indigenous communities where connectivity challenges often remain.
The federal Government has established a goal of ensuring every household in the country has access to high-speed Internet by 2030, recognizing broadband connectivity as essential infrastructure for economic development and community growth.
“The projects announced today are a major milestone for connectivity in Saskatchewan, providing reliable and affordable high-speed Internet to more than 30,000 underserved homes in over 500 rural and remote communities across the province,” said Belanger.
Among the organizations helping deliver the expansion is MCSnet, a Saskatchewan-based Internet provider with a long history of serving rural customers.
“MCSnet’s fibre-to-the-tower expansion in Saskatchewan will deliver fast, highly reliable Internet access to underserved homes in rural Saskatchewan, courtesy of a dedicated, community-invested provider,” said Jerome VanBrabant, Chief Projects Officer with MCSnet.
“As a family-owned company based in the Prairies, we have been serving rural communities with our innovative technology and exceptional customer service for over 30 years.”
As farms adopt more data-driven technologies and rural businesses expand their digital operations, access to dependable broadband infrastructure is becoming as important as many traditional utilities.
For Saskatchewan's agricultural sector, the expanded network could help reduce connectivity gaps that have historically limited the adoption of advanced technologies, allowing more producers to take advantage of digital tools that support productivity, efficiency and long-term competitiveness.
Click here for the list of communities that will be served by this announcement.