Hiring 750 employees, bringing world's fastest
wireless service to
3 million Albertans, and bridging the digital
divide for rural Albertans
Edmonton, AB - TELUS will invest $2
billion in advanced technology over the next three years in
Alberta.
This significant investment builds on the more than
$26 billion the company has invested in technology and
operations in the province since 2000. It will fuel the
expansion of TELUS' advanced wireless and wireline
broadband networks across the province.
"The economic backbone of Alberta relies on
investment and innovation. TELUS' $2 billion investment
over the next three years will support significant economic
and community development in every region of Alberta," said
Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. "We will
continue to expand wireline broadband access to rural and
remote communities and deliver 4G LTE, the world's fastest
wireless technology, to more than 80 per cent of Albertans
by the end of this year. We are building the communications
technology and infrastructure that will help Alberta
companies compete on the world stage, create local
employment opportunities, and advance healthcare and
education across the province for the benefit of
citizens."
One of Alberta's largest private sector employers,
TELUS' investments will result in the hiring of 750
people across the province this year to support its Optik
TV and wireless growth.
"As important as our technology investments are to
our success, our commitment to local communities is near
and dear to our hearts. TELUS believes deeply in the
symbiotic relationship between the success of business and
the welfare of our communities," continued Mr. Entwistle.
"We embrace a simple philosophy - we give where we live -
and we take great pride in the social outcomes we are
helping to realize, such as contributing $875,000 to the
Alberta Cancer Foundation through our Go Pink community
campaigns and the TELUS World Skins Game, held last year in
Banff. Since 2000, our TELUS family of 14,000
employees and retirees in Alberta has donated over $82
million dollars and, more importantly, volunteered 1.2
million hours, with our hearts and our hands, to community
and charitable organisations here in Alberta. Additionally,
the TELUS team will contribute a further $10 million
dollars to local, grassroots community projects in
2012."
TELUS' $2 billion investment will:
-
Extend its new 4G LTE wireless network from Calgary
and Edmonton to an additional seven communities in 2012.
This year, TELUS will extend service to Red Deer,
Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray,
Lloydminster and Brooks, with more to come over the next
few years if TELUS is able to secure the necessary
wireless spectrum through Industry Canada's upcoming
spectrum auctions. 4G LTE is the most advanced, fastest
wireless technology available in the world today.
-
Connect 18 remote and geographically challenging
Alberta communities to broadband internet this year,
including Bear Canyon, Blue Ridge, Brocket, Bruce,
Donalda, Ferintosh, Hays, Holden, Hussar, Jarvie,
Keephills, Marlboro, Pickardville, Walsh, Waterton Park,
Mulhurst, Seba Beach and Wildwood. By 2014 we will
connect a further 37 communities to ensure citizens have
access to high speed internet.
-
Further extend Optik TV service to reach nearly 70
per cent of Alberta households by the end of 2012. At the
end of 2011, TELUS had 509,000 TV customers, adding
56,000 in the final three months of the year
alone.
-
Continue to improve lives and save healthcare
dollars through the company's healthcare technology. On
February 2, TELUS acquired Wolf Medical Systems, a
company that provides cloud-based electronic medical
records to 1,500 doctors in Alberta and B.C. All 75
people working for Wolf have joined TELUS to create a new
division called TELUS Physician Solutions, which will
provide Canadian doctors and other healthcare providers
technology to help them use and share patient information
to improve service delivery and patient outcomes. This
acquisition builds on the $1 billion TELUS has invested
to become Canada's leading healthcare IT provider. TELUS'
healthcare solutions are backed by a team of 1,500 health
innovators who are dedicated to helping transform
healthcare and delivering better patient outcomes.
-
Support unique community fundraising projects
contributing to the Sturgeon Community Hospital
Foundation in St. Albert; the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur
Museum in Grande Prairie; the Lethbridge Public Library;
and in Edmonton, to the Campaign for Prostate Health.
Similar programs in 2011 raised $350,000 dollars for the
University of Lethbridge; $250,000 dollars for the G.H.
Dawe Community Centre in Red Deer; and $250,000 dollars
for a new aquatic and wellness multiplex in Grande
Prairie, to name a few.
The capital investment disclosed in this release is
consistent with TELUS' overall capital expenditure
guidance for 2012.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national
telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.4 billion of
annual revenue and 12.7 million customer connections
including 7.3 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million
wireline network access lines and 1.3 million Internet
subscribers and more than 500,000 TELUS TV customers. Led
since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS
provides a wide range of communications products and
services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP),
voice, television, entertainment and video.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live,
TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more
than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit
organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service
to local communities since 2000. Eleven TELUS Community
Boards across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic
initiatives. 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.
Forward looking statement:
This news release contains statements about
expected future events of TELUS that are forward-looking.
By their nature, forward-looking statements require the
Company to make assumptions and predictions and are subject
to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant
risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to
be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of
factors could cause actual future events to differ
materially from that expressed in the forward-looking
statements. Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking
statements.
- 30 -
For more information, please contact:
Chris Gerritsen
TELUS Media Relations
(403) 808-9591
chris.gerritsen@telus.com
B-roll of TELUS infrastructure projects can be
downloaded from the following FTP site:
Username: 12-079
Password: t3lu5
Recommend:
