The provincial Crown corporation SaskTel says it will be switching its cellular network to a new system so it can offer more functions. (CBC)

The inability of SaskTel to support charity donations through text messaging on cellphones is only one of the technological limitations of the carrier's system, an expert says.

SaskTel confirmed this week that people interested in making donations to support relief aid to Haiti cannot do so through a popular function on cellphones: text messaging.

"It's really more of a software issue," Andy Tate, a spokesman for the provincial Crown corporation, said Tuesday. Tate said SaskTel is unable to process a donation through its billing program.

SaskTel did not release current figures but said that at the end of 2008 it had 510,000 cellphone customers.

In addition to the text message billing shortcoming, SaskTel is also not able to support the popular iPhone. As well, on those cellphones it does support, SaskTel is unable to offer name display.

David Gerhard, a computer science professor at the University of Regina, said SaskTel's shortcomings relate to the size of the province and the type of network it built to provide cell coverage.

Gerhard said SaskTel chose a technology that was suitable for a large geographic area, but has other limitations.

"It's very much like VHS and BETA back in the day," Gerhard explained.

SaskTel uses a network system known as CDMA, which was good for large areas with sparse populations when it was introduced.

The competing system is known as GSM. It works well for dense populations in small areas and offers more options for customers.

SaskTel says it will, eventually, be switching to GSM.

"We're working hard on that," Tate said. "We're hoping to have some of the network complete by 2010 and the entire network done by 2011."