TELUS investing $53 million to connect New Westminster to the gigabit-enabled fibre optic network, dramatically increasing wireless and Internet speeds throughout the region

Advanced TELUS PureFibre network will connect residents and businesses directly to gigabit Internet speeds while expanding cellular coverage throughout the region

New Westminster, B.C. – TELUS is investing $53 million in New Westminster this year to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in New Westminster directly to our fibre optic network. This investment is part of TELUS’ recently announced commitment to invest $13 billion in infrastructure and operations across British Columbia through 2024 to further support the province throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery. Construction on the PureFibre network is expected to start in August, and TELUS anticipates the majority of homes and businesses will be connected by the Spring of 2022. 

“TELUS is proud to make this generational investment in New Westminster, providing the technology to connect citizens to loved ones, as well as vital resources and information as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “Now more than ever, TELUS is committed to keeping our citizens and communities connected and productive through our globally leading wireless network, underpinned by our award winning TELUS PureFibre infrastructure that provides the backbone for our 5G-enabled world. Indeed, across British Columbia, the ongoing expansion of our broadband networks, ubiquitously deployed, are bridging time and distance, allowing residents to live and work in any community without compromising productivity or economic opportunity. As we look ahead with optimism to a period of social and economic recovery, our investments are enabling more British Columbians with world-best connectivity to work, learn, socialize, access entertainment and transact safely and effectively from their homes.”

Last month, TELUS was named the fastest Internet service provider (ISP) in Canada by New York-based PCMag for the second consecutive year. The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is the largest 100 per cent pure fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) network in Western Canada, giving residents and businesses dramatically fast upload and download Internet speeds, which provides significant benefits for applications like video conferencing, working or learning remotely, gaming, and smart 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. For Canadians currently working from a home office, a PureFibre connection means upload speeds will not slow down the pace of business or lag during peak hours, and the rest of the family can simultaneously stream, play video games, and participate in online learning. 

“The City of New Westminster’s vision is to be a vibrant, compassionate, sustainable city that includes everyone. To achieve that, we are committed to improving connectivity in our community to support digital inclusion and create economic opportunities for our residents and businesses,” said Jonathan Coté, Mayor of New Westminster. “We’re proud to have an Intelligent New West strategy to guide us and TELUS’ investment into our city will both complement and extend our own dark fibre infrastructure, BridgeNet, and the initiatives we have launched to lead innovative thinking and approaches to face challenges and create the conditions our community needs to thrive.”

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. Once homes are connected, residents can immediately begin taking advantage of dramatically faster and symmetrical Internet speeds. 

To support New Westminster throughout the last year, TELUS’ networks helped residents and businesses as we all adapted to new ways of living. As the province’s leading private sector employer, TELUS kept our 8,000 British Columbian team members employed through Covid, including more than 100 local team members right here in New Westminster. 

TELUS is also supporting small businesses through its second national #StandWithOwners initiative, investing $1 million to promote these vitally important organizations in 2021. Small business owners have demonstrated incredible strength and ingenuity as they pivoted and innovated throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and TELUS is proudly supporting them with funding, localized advertising, and mentorship as they move forward. To apply, businesses can visit telus.com/standwithowners. 

TELUS and our local team members have long been committed to New Westminster, and throughout the challenging last year we donated $10,000 to Blind Beginnings Society, which supported the counselling and programs for children and youth facing visual impairments.

"We are so grateful for TELUS’ support of our counselling and support groups for children and youth who are blind or partially sighted, and their parents,” said Shawn Marsolais, Founder and Executive Director of Blind Beginnings. “Through what has been a very challenging and isolating time for our families, these programs have allowed children and youth to connect with and build friendships with other blind and partially sighted peers, and given parents opportunities to receive resources and emotional and peer support from other parents who can truly understand the challenges of raising a child with a visual impairment. For our members who require extra individualized support we provide counselling from registered clinical counsellors with lived experience of growing up with a visual impairment."

These investments build upon TELUS’ continued commitment to bring world-class connectivity to communities across the province, providing the technological backbone for our economic recovery and strength well into the future. Since 2000, TELUS has invested nearly $240 billion nationally in network infrastructure, operations and spectrum, including more than $53 billion in technology and operations in B.C. 

The investments announced in this media release are consistent with TELUS’ capital expenditure guidance for 2021, released in the fourth quarter of 2020 earnings release dated February 11, 2021.

For more information about our investment in New Westminster, please view this video.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements about future events and plans that are forward-looking, including relating to TELUS’ infrastructure investment plans. By their nature, forward-looking statements require TELUS 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 (such as regulatory decisions and developments, the competitive environment in which we operate, our operating and financial results and our ability to carry out financing activities) could cause actual capital and operating expenditures to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.

Accordingly, this news release and the forward-looking statements made in it are subject to the cautionary note and qualified by the assumptions, qualifications and risk factors referred to in TELUS’ 2018 and first quarter 2019 Management’s discussion and analysis, which are incorporated by reference herein, and in other TELUS public disclosure documents and filings with securities commissions in Canada (on SEDAR at sedar.com) and in the United States (on EDGAR at sec.gov). Forward-looking statement describe TELUS’ expectations and are based on our assumptions as at the date of this press release and are subject to change. Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada’s leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Lena Chen
TELUS Public Relations
[email protected]