Samsung Electronics Canada announced a new office in Regina as it looks to play a more prominent role in helping SaskTel deploy 5G to the province.
The announcement comes as the Saskatchewan tech industry has grown in prominence recently amid government support and a record breaking year for venture capital investment.
“The opening of a Samsung office in Regina underscores our commitment to ensuring a successful, end-to-end 5G network deployment for SaskTel, and enabling the foundation for next-generation innovations such as smart cities, immersive healthcare, agri-tech solutions and next-level gaming,” said Jeff Jo, president and CEO of Samsung Canada.
Samsung’s plan is for the new office to be based in downtown Regina. The goal of the new regional office will be to support the deployment of 5G network capabilities and solutions in the province.
SaskTel 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. In March 2021, it was announced that Samsung would supply all hardware, software, and associated expertise to deploy SaskTel’s 5G solutions.
SaskTel is the leading Information and Communications Technology provider in Saskatchewan. The company reported over $1.3 billion in annual revenue and has approximately 1.4 million customer connections.
This wave of increased interest in the tech industry in Saskatchewan is being driven by various initiatives. These include the provincial government’s angel investment tax credit program that offers a 45 per cent tax credit to Saskatchewan-based investors; a program that was extended this year.
Saskatchewan also has a group of investors and venture builders like Conexus Credit Union, which runs a venture fund and announced a new accelerator to strengthen Saskatchewan’s AgTech industry.
Overall, it has been a big year for Saskatchewan tech with a lot of money invested into the likes of Vendasta, Coconut Software and Precision AI, which secured a combined total of $167.5 million in funding this year. South Dakota-based tech company Raven Industries also announced plans for a facility in Emerald Park, just outside of Regina.