By Nicole Goldsworthy
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
SaskToday.ca
Residents in Uranium City are being advised to prepare for a temporary loss of landline phone service as SaskTel crews carry out scheduled maintenance on March 18.
The work will take place on the satellite network that supports SaskTel home and business phone services in the northern community.
Landline service is expected to be unavailable for up to eight hours in and around Uranium City, though SaskTel notes the exact timing of the outage and restoration remains uncertain.
The Crown corporation says the maintenance is required to support the long-term reliability and performance of the network. SaskTel apologized for the disruption and thanked customers for their patience.
Because landline service will be affected, residents may not be able to place emergency calls during the outage. SaskTel is advising people who need urgent assistance to seek help in person, visit the local health clinic, or go to the nearest RCMP detachment.
SaskTel said the outage also highlights the importance of having backup communication options, such as satellite phones or satellite internet services, particularly in remote communities.