Sasktel's Business infiNET: The fastest upload speed in Saskatchewan
There was a time when most home and office computers were treated like digital libraries, where you could search for something, find it and download it, much like taking a book off a shelf. That was something early technology, using copper phone lines, could handle well.
Today, it’s a whole new world, where the need to confidently and seamlessly upload information from your computer — think of video conferencing, elearning, video streaming and file sharing — is essential. Enabling that level of performance requires unprecedented technological advancement, where uploading information is as fast as downloading. That symmetry is the unique power of Sasktel’s Business infinet,
and no other service in the province comes close.
In fact, Business infinet has the fastest upload speed
in Saskatchewan. That’s a big, and important, difference when it comes to eliminating livestream lag, confidently sharing large files and databases, and many other applications.
Sasktel is the only provider to offer a full-path fibre network to many locations across Saskatchewan. Furthermore, Sasktel is investing $147 million in its Fibre to the Business (FTTB) program over 10 years to bring fibre to all business in Saskatchewan’s eight major cities and will continue to invest in 40 rural communities with an additional $100 million investment by the end of 2023. The urgency to develop this network was spurred even more by the recent pandemic, where communications from home and business became paramount, and led to new ways of how we work and conduct business.
“As the world transitioned to an online environment, businesses started setting up home offices for their employees and using tools like Zoom, Webex and Teams for multiple hours a day, making upload speed equally as important as download speed,” explains Ghia Schell-matheis, product manager of Business Internet Services. “There also is a growing need for businesses to share large files between these remote team members and back up data to the Cloud. The significant increase of needing to have a strong virtual business presence — with things like live streaming, video conferencing, and e-commerce — additionally make upload bandwidth extremely valuable. Businesses now operate with a mixed model of employees in office, at home, or both, and this continues to drive the importance of increased upload capacity and speed.”
It’s not just quantity; it’s quality, and the importance of achieving as close to an actual face-to-face interaction as possible. Anyone who has experienced lags or glitches while video conferencing knows how distracting and awkward that experience can be. Sasktel’s Business infinet goes a long way to removing what might be called the “de-humanizing factors” that would otherwise diminish a sales presentation or make a team meeting seem stilted and arduous.
The potential is significant for a variety of businesses and organizations, including entrepreneurs ready to take full advantage of Business infinet’s symmetrical upload/download capabilities. A motivational speaker can now reach international audiences without ever having to step on a plane. Musicians can perform livestreamed concerts. Churches can include those unable to attend services in person. A business can conduct more sales presentations in a day, or demonstrate its superior product or service, without the expense and downtime of travel. Employees can be given the option of working from home, or a hybrid office/home arrangement, using tasks that all depend on fast upload speeds, such as sending emails, video conferencing and working on cloud-based documents like Google Docs.
Indeed, with Business infinet’s capabilities, a Saskatchewan company could successfully employ skilled workers who could be living anywhere in the province. “Sasktel enables employers to provide this as an option and ensures employees are set up to successfully complete their work as though they were in the office,” says Schell-matheis.
Best of all, Business infinet can be as uncomplicated as it is lightning-fast. It will work on any existing device that already connects to the internet.
“A business network can be as simple or sophisticated as the end user wants, but a single internet with associated wifi, as an example, requires very little expertise,” says Schell-matheis. “There are a lot of factors to consider when determining the upload and download speeds a business requires. The number of devices connected to the network and what those devices are used for are the largest considerations, quickly followed by the goals of the business.”
To help determine the best way for you and your business or organization to take advantage of Sasktel’s Business infinet, visit sasktel.com/businessinfinet.
For more information, visit www.sasktel.com.