Outlet Internet Community Corporation will be discontinuing dial-up Internet access at the end of this year.
In the five years since the Outlet first went online, Internet access technology has moved from 28.8 kbps modems to 33.6 kbps, then to 56K systems, and now other options such as satellite access and SaskTel's high-speed ADSL technology (available in Outlook by year-end) make our 28.8 kbps modem system seem ancient by comparison. As a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization, we simply do not have the resources to upgrade our systems to give our customers access to these new technologies. With the recent government initiatives to provide high-speed Internet access to rural schools and health districts, we no longer have a large enough customer base to continue offering dial-up services, and so the difficult decision was made to discontinue service.

UPDATE: We have negotiated a transition plan for Outlet users to sign up with Sympatico - please click here for full details. As part of this conversion, we will forward your existing e-mail address to your new Sympatico e-mail account, once the process is complete. Please do not sign up with Sympatico or cancel your Outlet account until you receive full details of the conversion process. For our customers who have pre-paid for a year of Internet access, we will issue refunds based on the number of months remaining until your renewal date.

SaskTel will also be offering high-speed ADSL Internet access in Outlook, starting in December. If you are interested in high-speed, please contact Thorstad Consulting at 867-9596 or stop by their office at 216 McTavish St. (just south of the Royal Bank in Outlook). Thorstad Consulting is SaskTel's local dealer for high-speed installations, and also are the local dealer for regular dial-up Sympatico.

Our thanks go out to all of you, our customers. We wish it didn't have to end this way, but we hope that we will be able to make this transition as easy as possible for you.

Sincerely,

Dean Carpenter
President, Outlet Internet Community Corp.
Phone 867-4766 extension 23.