TELUS investing $100 million to connect St. Albert and parts of Sturgeon County directly to advanced fibre optic network
Direct fibre connection will dramatically boost data capacity, providing local homes and businesses access to the gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network
St. Albert, AB – TELUS is investing $100 million to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the City of St. Albert, including the neighbouring communities in Sturgeon County directly to its fibre optic network. Construction work will begin this June, and TELUS anticipates connecting the majority of homes and businesses by the end of 2020.
“This investment to bring TELUS PureFibre to the City of St. Albert and parts of Sturgeon County will future-proof the communities for generations to come,” said Tony Geheran, TELUS Chief Customer Officer. “Only TELUS PureFibre brings the fibre network connection right to the doorstep of your home or business, offering equally fast upload and download speeds and a connection that won’t slow down even during busy times when all of your neighbours are also online. Fast upload speeds are critical for applications like gaming, smart home security, uploading large files or photos, and video conferencing and digital healthcare services. This new connectivity will help boost the local economy by encouraging new or continued investment, and will enable businesses to thrive whether they’re established operations or new home-based start-ups.”
The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is among the most advanced communications infrastructure available in the world today, enabling residents to immediately take advantage of 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, indoor and outdoor lighting, and even the thermostat. 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.
“We thank TELUS for their investment in our community,” says St. Albert Mayor, Cathy Heron. “Access to fast and reliable Internet connectivity is essential for our residents and allows our businesses to compete globally, fueling economic development, innovation and engagement.”
“This is a tremendously positive announcement for the residents and businesses in both Sturgeon County and St. Albert,” said Sturgeon County Mayor, Alanna Hnatiw. “TELUS’ investment better positions Sturgeon County for economic growth, keeping our rural communities competitive and vibrant.”
A direct connection to the TELUS PureFibre network comes at no cost to taxpayers or residents. 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.
TELUS is bringing this critical network infrastructure to more communities in 2019, and as customer demand and connected devices and platforms evolve in the coming years, the TELUS PureFibre network will continuously offer faster speeds and more capacity. In the immediate term, local healthcare providers, educators and technology companies will be able to draw upon the technology to reimagine how they deliver existing services and develop entirely new solutions.
This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.2 billion throughout Alberta between 2017 and 2020, at no cost to taxpayers. For more information, please visit telus.com/purefibre.
About TELUS
TELUS (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:
Doug Self
TELUS Public Relations