TELUS investing $2 billion in Alberta over next three years
Hiring 750 employees, bringing world's fastest wireless service to 3 million Albertans, and bridging the digital divide for rural Albertans
EDMONTON, May 3, 2012 /CNW/ - 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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
For further information:
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:
FTP://209.52.48.241
Username: 12-079
Password: t3lu5