TELUS is investing $150 million to connect more than 90 per cent of
homes and businesses in Prince George including the North Side of
Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s Fort George 2 reserve directly to
its fibre optic network, enhancing wireline and wireless
connectivity, and preparing the region for 5G technology in the
years ahead. TELUS plans to complete this significant
infrastructure build over the next three years, accounting for the
challenging local terrain and winter weather in the region.
Construction on the PureFibre network is already underway, and
TELUS anticipates the majority of homes and businesses will be
connected by the beginning of 2022. This PureFibre build in Prince
George represents a major milestone for the TELUS PureFibre
network, as the network has now been connected to more than 2
million homes and businesses.
This significant investment brings TELUS’ total investment in
Northern B.C. to more than $350 million since 2013, making Northern
B.C. one of the most connected regions in Canada. These investments
have brought more resident’s high-speed Internet, and expanded the
reach of TELUS’ wireless network across the area, giving more
residents, businesses, and visitors reliable cellular connectivity.
TELUS has connected more than 500 kilometres of Highway 16 to new
wireless service, giving residents and visitors the ability to make
phone calls from the highway, and enhancing safety by providing
providing fast access to 911 in the event of an emergency. TELUS
has also connected Kitimat, Terrace, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek,
Hudson’s Hope, Williams Lake, Quesnel, and Witset to the TELUS
PureFibre network, and has brought more Northern B.C. communities
high-speed Internet and Optik TV.
“TELUS is very proud to be making this generational investment
in Prince George, providing the technology to bridge geographic and
socio-economic divides and connect citizens to the people,
resources and information that make their lives better,” said
Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “Importantly, TELUS
PureFibre offers the community a globally unmatched wireline
infrastructure that ensures all citizens have access to the digital
tools to drive improved health, social and economic outcomes.
Moreover, TELUS PureFibre enables entrepreneurs, start-ups and
home-based businesses to benefit from the same Internet speeds,
functionality, reliability and security that large enterprises
currently enjoy. Indeed, in communities like Prince George, the
advent of broadband networks, ubiquitously deployed, are bridging
time and distance, allowing residents to live and work in the city
without compromising productivity or economic opportunity. We look
forward to connecting our fellow British Columbians in Prince
George and beyond to TELUS PureFibre and supporting the community
as it attracts new industries and innovators, supporting the jobs
of today and those that have yet to be imagined.”
Since 2000 through 2018, TELUS has invested more than $47
billion in technology and operations in B.C., and over the next
three years through 2021, TELUS plans on investing an additional $8
billion connecting and supporting communities at no cost to
taxpayers. Since 2013, TELUS has connected 125 communities in B.C.,
Alberta and eastern Quebec to the TELUS PureFibre network, and will
have connected more than 50 Indigenous communities in B.C. and
Alberta by the end of next year.
“Faster Internet connections to homes, businesses and industries
in Prince George and parts of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation’s
territory will make it easier for people to access vital services
and do business online,” said Jinny Sims, Minister of Citizens’
Services. “I want to thank TELUS for this important investment.
Improving connectivity in the north helps grow our province and
ensure people can take advantage of the economic, social and health
benefits high-speed Internet has to offer in today’s rapidly
changing world.”
The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is among the most
advanced communications infrastructure available in the world
today, giving residents dramatically fast Internet speeds up to a
gigabit, while businesses, schools, healthcare providers and other
institutions can access even more speed and capacity. The TELUS
PureFibre network offers equally fast upload and download speeds,
which provides significant benefits for applications like video
conferencing, gaming, and home security. Supported by the TELUS
PureFibre network, TELUS Smart Home Security offers 24/7 real-time
monitoring and smart controls to manage cameras, lock and unlock
doors, remotely manage indoor and outdoor lighting and even the
thermostat.
"On behalf of Council, I would like to thank TELUS for making
this important investment in the technological infrastructure of
Prince George,” said Mayor Lyn Hall. “Increasing the speed and
reliability of our Internet connectivity will have obvious benefits
for residents, businesses, and industries in our city. Investments
like these help to ensure Prince George keeps up with the latest
technology, which has a positive impact on economic development for
both the city and region."
This new fibre optic infrastructure will also be the backbone of
TELUS’ wireless network, enabling more wireless capacity and faster
speeds throughout the region, and lays the groundwork for 5G
technologies in the years ahead. A reliable and fast wireless
connection has become increasingly important as consumers use apps
like Babylon by TELUS Health, which enables all British Columbians
to access critical medical advice and FaceTime with a registered
B.C. physician right from their smartphone, at no cost to the user.
For residents in Northern B.C. who must travel great distances to
visit a doctor, this app promises to be transformational by
providing users the ability to connect with a doctor from the
comfort of their home or office, and have prescriptions sent to a
pharmacy near them.
“On behalf of all Lheidli T’enneh members I wish to thank TELUS
for its investment in our territory and its acknowledgement that
indigenous communities must have access to faster Internet
services,” said Lheidli T’enneh Chief, Clayton Pountney. “Our
nation will continue to expand our business holdings in Prince
George and throughout our territory and we require the best
Internet services available. The investment TELUS has announced
today will ensure that we can take our rightful place in the global
economy.”
A direct connection to the TELUS PureFibre network comes at no
cost to taxpayers or residents, and TELUS plans to bring this
critical network infrastructure to more communities in the years
ahead. Residents can expect to see TELUS trucks throughout the
community as construction begins, and TELUS representatives out
knocking on their door to receive permission to connect their home
to the network. Once homes are connected, residents can immediately
begin taking advantage of dramatically faster and symmetrical
Internet speeds.
In addition to these significant network investments, TELUS’
investment in local charities and organizations has earned them the
reputation as one of the most giving companies in the world. Since
2000, TELUS, its team members and retirees have contributed $1.2
billion to charitable organizations in Canada, including $690
million in financial support and 1.3 million days of caring and
volunteerism. This includes more than $1.5 million donated to local
charities and organizations in Prince George, and more than 280,000
hours of volunteerism from Prince George team members and
retirees.
This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.7
billion throughout British Columbia between 2017 and 2020, at no
cost to taxpayers. For more information, please visit
telus.com/purefibre.
About TELUSTELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is one of
Canada’s largest telecommunications companies, with $14.4 billion
of annual revenue and 13.4 million subscriber connections,
including 9.2 million wireless subscribers, 1.9 million high-speed
Internet subscribers, 1.2 million residential network access lines
and 1.1 million TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of
communications products and services, including wireless, data,
Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment, video and
home and business security. TELUS is also Canada's largest
healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers business
process solutions around the globe.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our
team members and retirees have contributed over $650 million to
charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more
than 1.21 million days of service to local communities since 2000.
Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS’ 13
Canadian community boards and five International boards have led
the Company’s support of grassroots charities and have contributed
$72 million in support of 7,000 local charitable projects,
enriching the lives of more than 2 million children and youth,
annually. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding
philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of
Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to
receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Liz Sauvé TELUS Public Relations liz.sauve@telus.com
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