TELUS investing $60 million to connect Okotoks, Black Diamond and Turner Valley homes and businesses 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.

Okotoks, AB – TELUS is investing $60 million to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the Town of Okotoks, Black Diamond and Turner Valley directly to its fibre optic network. Planning is currently underway, and construction will begin in the spring of 2018. TELUS anticipates connecting all homes and businesses before the end of 2019.

“TELUS PureFibre is the future,” said Tony Geheran, TELUS Executive Vice-President and President of Broadband Networks. “This investment will dramatically improve Internet speed and capacity for residents and businesses in all corners of Okotoks, Black Diamond and Turner Valley. Whether you’re operating a large business or starting a small one out of your home, or streaming Netflix while a family member is playing a video game in the next room, a direct PureFibre connection enables seamless uploading and downloading at speeds never before available.”

The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is among the most advanced and reliable communications infrastructure available in the world today, enabling connected residents to immediately take advantage of dramatically faster Internet speeds of up to 150 megabits per second, while interested businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and institutions can access even more speed and capacity. The TELUS PureFibre network offers symmetrical service, which means customers can upload just as fast as they download. As demand and Internet technologies evolve in the coming years TELUS will offer faster speeds and more capacity, sufficient for decades to come.

“High speed Internet service is more than just a convenience – it is essential for businesses, citizens and institutions to access information, offer services and create opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach”, said Elaine Vincent, Chief Administrative Officer at the Town of Okotoks, “Having access to the latest technology is a key strategy to attract more technology reliant businesses to Okotoks and spark innovation locally to compete globally. Okotoks will be well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the digital age, enabling the ability to facilitate local job opportunities for current and future citizens”

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 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.

“The Town of Black Diamond is looking forward to the investment TELUS is bringing to our community to provide a curb to door fibre optic option for Internet services,” said Sharlene Brown, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Black Diamond. “Fibre in our communities will ensure an option for faster speeds, increased security, reliable services, consistent signals and lower processing delays. In Black Diamond this means options for business to compete on a global scale and increased residential Internet services.”

“Access to broadband will help businesses compete more effectively in a larger marketplace,” said Monique LeBlanc, Community Services and Business Development Manager for the Town of Turner Valley. “We expect this to become an essential economic tool in supporting existing businesses and in attracting new investment. Broadband will have a significant impact on improving the lives and opportunities of our residents and business owners.”

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 Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $13 billion of annual revenue and 12.8 million subscriber connections, including 8.7 million wireless subscribers, 1.7 million high-speed Internet subscribers, 1.3 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 and video. 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 $482 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 7.7 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS’ 12 Canadian community boards and 5 International boards have led the Company’s support of grassroots charities and have contributed more than $60 million in support of 5,595 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 Media Relations
(604) 719-6715
[email protected]