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Effective November 30, 2009, SaskTel will introduce significant long distance rate decreases in its Unlimited Long Distance plans:
• Anytime North America Unlimited Long Distance plan - $2.00/month reduction
o Stand Alone from $25/month to $23/month
o From $20/month to $18/month when Bundled with Max TV Only, Internet, postpaid cellular, or SecurTek monitoring service
o From $15/month to $13/month when Bundled with Max service
• Evenings and Weekends North America Long Distance plan – All customers will be migrated to the Anytime North America Unlimited Long Distance plan for the same price. These customers will be able to have Unlimited Calling in North America any time of day- not just on evenings and weekends.
Also, SaskTel will file an application to the CRTC to increase residential local telephone service rates in high cost serving areas in Saskatchewan by the rate of inflation (3.877%) effective November 30, 2009. Upon CRTC approval, residential local access customers in high cost serving areas will see a rate increase ranging from $0.79 to $1.28 per month.
The CRTC’s Price Cap Decision, which establishes the regulatory framework under which all major incumbent telephone companies must operate, reduced the subsidy provided to high cost serving areas annually by the lesser of the rate of inflation (this year 3.877%) or 5%, which essentially forces the incumbent telephone companies to increase rates in rural and remote areas of the country.
“SaskTel’s appeal of this CRTC decision was rejected and it leaves us with little choice but to proceed with rate increases annually, however, we are introducing significant long distance rate decreases and over 40% of customers in high cost serving areas will actually realize an overall reduction in rates,” said Robert Watson, SaskTel President and CEO. “Customers in high cost serving areas will continue to receive local telephone service for rates that remain among the lowest in Canada and are below the actual cost of providing the service.”
About SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.14 billion in annual revenue and over 1.3 million customer connections including over 510,000 wireless accesses, 555,000 wireline network accesses, 216,000 internet accesses and 70,000 Max™ (TV) subscribers. SaskTel (sasktel.com) 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 2008, SaskTel contributed over $610 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 5,000 employees.
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michelle.englot[.]sasktel.sk.ca 
