The new downtown office will aid in bringing “transformational” 5G to the province in the coming months with wider deployment planned for 2022.
On December 1, Samsung Electronics Canada announced that it will be establishing a new regional office in Regina, Saskatchewan to support its growing relationship with SaskTel and to expedite the deployment of 5G wireless services and solutions to the province.
Samsung Electronics Canada’s new regional office will be located in downtown Regina. A representative from the company says that the location will be permanent and they expect full tenancy by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
“The new office will employ highly qualified, full-time employees who will work to implement these 5G solutions in the province,” the Samsung Electronics Canada representative said.
“We also look forward to hiring new graduates and offering co-op placements in collaboration with the universities of Saskatchewan.”
Last March, Samsung was selected as the sole vendor to supply SaskTel with all hardware, software, and associated expertise to ensure the successful deployment of an end-to-end 5G solution.
In the news release, Samsung Electronics Canada stated that the 5G network will increase data speeds and lay the foundation for next-generation innovations in healthcare, agri-tech solutions, remote work, manufacturing, mining, and smart cities while delivering “unparalleled levels of performance and efficiency.
The representative noted that Samsung is a global leader in 5G with over forty years of experience developing network solutions and has supported mobile operators around the world to deliver faster speeds and enhanced connectivity with greater security.
“As one of a few companies in the world capable of delivering a truly end-to-end 5G portfolio, our 5G deployments are trustworthy and secure, starting with our chipsets, and moving all the way across our network solutions and devices.”
In the announcement, SaskTel said it plans to begin deploying its 5G network on a “limited basis” by the end of 2021, with “wider deployment” planned for 2022 in Regina and Saskatoon.
“Having [Samsung Electronics Canada] have an office in Regina will significantly help us to accelerate the deployment of 5G,” says Greg Jacobs, external communications manager at SaskTel.
“Typically speaking, equipment vendors are located down east or far down west … so normally you’d have to wait for some communication back and forth between Saskatchewan to another province. But because we’re going to have these resources right in province they’re steps away from our head office.”
Since 2010, SaskTel reports that it invested over $3.0 billion in capital throughout Saskatchewan to bolster its networks and is committed to investing $324 million of capital across Saskatchewan in 2020-21 and over $1.6 billion through to 2025.
Because SaskTel has “over a thousand towers to upgrade,” Jacobs says there will be troubleshooting and configuration situations when SaskTel will need to rely on its equipment vendor for advice, “so really having boots on the ground is absolutely significant and will be a great asset to our relationship and our ability to deploy 5G.”
In addition to those that Samsung Canada will hire, Jacobs says SaskTel is expecting to employ sixty to seventy additional people to advance the 5G network.
“It’s an absolutely massive project and the resources required to accomplish it are significant, which is why we will be increasing our staff,” Jacobs said.