SaskTel says a 4G cellular tower will be built at Southend as a result of financial contributions from several corporations and community organizations in the area.
The Crown utility allows communities to raise funds to cover the shortfall “when it is not economically feasible for SaskTel to finance a new cellular site alone”.
SaskTel’s economic analysis for Southend — which it says took into account the overall cost of the tower site, operating expenses over the first five years, and the anticipated revenues — resulted in a shortfall of $209,000.
That shortfall has since been covered by Cameco, AREVA, Nordic Lodge and some Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation agencies.
SaskTel anticipates that the new tower will be in place in early 2013.