It'll cost two quarters, not one, to make a pay phone call in Saskatchewan starting in June.

SaskTel announced a series of rate changes Friday that includes a plan to double the cost of a local call at a payphone to 50 cents from 25, starting June 2.

SaskTel hasn't increased the cost of a pay phone call since 1983.
(CBC)

The company has to file an application to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission first, but expects it to be approved because it's in accordance with a previous CRTC ruling, SaskTel spokeswoman Darcee MacFarlane said.

Phone companies in Manitoba, Alberta and other provinces have already raised their rates to 50 cents a call.

SaskTel, which is owned by the province, last increased pay phone rates in 1983, from a dime to 25 cents.

Over the past two decades, as cellphones have become more popular, SaskTel has kept fewer pay phones going. Currently, there are about 300 in the province.

MacFarlane said while the cash cost of a pay phone call is doubling, the cost when using SaskTel's prepaid pay phone cards will remain at 25 cents a call.

In other changes, the charge for three of SaskTel's major long distance plans is going down, but people living in rural and remote areas could be paying more for local phone service.

Local rates in such "high cost" service areas will go up by about 2 per cent in late March and another 3 per cent in June (about $1 to $1.60 a month), if the CRTC accepts SaskTel's application.

Long distance charges on some plans will decrease to 5 cents a minute from 7 cents, SaskTel said.

The rate reductions will more than compensate for the hikes, SaskTel said.

In fact, according to company president Robert Watson, SaskTel expects a negative impact of $4 million on its annual revenues.