A widespread SaskTel outage forced businesses, service groups and emergency services across West Central Saskatchewan to scramble for alternate contact methods on Friday.
The disruption, reported shortly before 9 a.m. CST, left SaskTel wireless customers unable to make outgoing calls. The company confirmed the outage also affected Business Integrated Communications (IBC) and VoIP phone systems.
While text and data services continued to function, many in the region, from Kindersley to Rosetown and Biggar, turned to social media and email to stay connected. Local municipalities, health services, and community organizations posted alternate numbers online to ensure residents could still reach them.
Emergency services were also impacted. RCMP said 911 remained operational, but the non-emergency 310-RCMP line was unavailable. Police advised residents to attend their nearest detachment in person for non-urgent concerns.
By early afternoon, SaskTel said the outage was still affecting all wireless voice customers and about 3,000 business lines across the province. Landline services remained operational, and some cellular calls were able to connect intermittently.
At 6:40 p.m., Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed SaskTel service had been restored. Residents were again able to make calls to their local police of jurisdiction.