The Christmas season is always a busy time for SaskTel, but the phone company is preparing for an even busier Christmas this year.

SaskTel is expecting around 820-thousand long-distance calls will be placed on Christmas Day, a three per cent increase over last Christmas.

Customers can avoid network congestion by placing calls outside of the peak calling times of 10am to 2pm, and from 7pm to 10pm.

SaskTel reminds customers to place direct-dialed calls instead of operator-assisted ones, make sure you're dialling the correct number, and take time zones into consideration.