Connecting with SaskTel | Calling home for Christmas makes a comeback in 2019

If there’s one thing the holidays always bring, it’s a chance to reach out and connect with the friends and family that mean the most. And these holidays, you can be sure that people across the planet will be reaching out all the way from Santa’s magical home at the North Pole to Puerto Williams in Chile.

Over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, those living in Saskatchewan will be doing just the same but in bigger numbers than any year before.

While the trend has been to move toward data driven forms of communications like texting, video calling, and online messaging, this year Saskatchewan residents are looking to add a more personal touch with a 9 per cent average increase in the number of traditional voice calls anticipated.

“Keeping people connected to their world is what we do, and no one tends to be more important to our worlds than the ones we love,” said Doug Burnett, SaskTel President and CEO. “Whether you use your phone to make a call, send a text, or online message this holiday season, we’re honoured to be here playing our small part in bringing friends and family together when distance gets in the way.”

Over the three-day period, people in Saskatchewan will certainly be active on the phone, over texts, and in using data, with over 24.4 million text messages anticipated to be sent and received. This comes on top of the 415.2 TB of data that will be uploaded and downloaded, as well as more than 1.8 million calls placed and 1.3 million calls received.

The increase in voice calls is expected to come at the expense of text messages which, while still the second largest communication tool by volume, are expected to see an average decrease of 2.4 per cent. Christmas day is expected to see biggest growth among voice calls, averaging a 38 per cent increase year-over-year.

For those looking to join on the voice calling trend there are a couple of tips to help make sure you’re loved one’s are able to take your call:

• If you plan to use a cellphone, make sure its fully charged
•Avoid calling during peak times such as 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
•If you’re making video calls, save on your data by making sure to take advantage of Wi-Fi, such as one of the thousands of SaskTel Select Wi-Fi locations province wide.

“As you reach out these holidays, I’d like to offer our thanks to the people of Saskatchewan for making us their number one choice for staying connected,” said Burnett. “On behalf of everyone here at SaskTel, we’d like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!”