JULY 6, 2021
TELUS is investing $2.1 million to bring 5G to Okotoks this year
Okotoks, AB – TELUS is investing $2.1 million in Okotoks this year as part of our $14.5 billion investment in infrastructure and operations across Alberta through 2024 to further support the province throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery. These investments will create important and tangible social outcomes by enabling Albertans to work, learn, access healthcare, and socialize from home during these unprecedented times. TELUS’ significant investments in Okotoks, include:
- Bringing our blistering-fast 5G network speeds to Okotoks utilizing our current spectrum holdings, enabling residents and businesses to access the fastest 5G network in Canada, providing speeds up to 1.7 Gbps. By the end of the year, 153 communities including 31 First Nations across the province will have access to 5G, contributing to improved health and educational outcomes, enabling our entrepreneurial spirit and unleashing human productivity. It is estimated that 5G will create 250,000 jobs and contribute $150 billion to Canada’s economy over the next 20 years.
- Building new wireless infrastructure in response to the increasing demand for enhanced wireless connectivity throughout the city, ensuring TELUS wireless networks continue to meet and exceed the demands for reliable and fast connectivity in Okotoks.
- Connecting more households and businesses to the gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network, Western Canada’s largest fibre-to-the-premise network that supported more than two million Albertans as they adapted to new ways of living throughout the pandemic. TELUS PureFibre first came to Okotoks in 2017, and was ready to withstand the additional demands of Covid-19, particularly as the symmetrical upload and download Internet speeds enable residents to work with large files at home while other family members can simultaneously be learning, streaming entertainment, or video chatting with friends.
“TELUS is proud to make this generational investment in Okotoks, 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 Alberta, 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 Albertans with world-best connectivity to work, learn, socialize, access entertainment and transact safely and effectively from their homes.”
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
.To support Okotoks throughout the last year, TELUS’ networks helped residents and businesses as we all adapted to new ways of living. As one of the province’s leading private sector employers, TELUS kept our 7,000 Albertan team members employed through Covid-19, including all our local team members right here in Okotoks.
“This is a significant step into the future for Okotoks and we look forward to the opportunities this technology will offer our community,” said Matt Rockley, Deputy Mayor of Okotoks. “It will improve our competitive positioning when attracting new businesses and offer an enhanced lifestyle for residents.”
TELUS and our local team members have long been committed to Okotoks, and throughout the challenging last year we donated to the Okotoks Foodbank, supporting their operations during the pandemic. Since 2000, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $95,000 and volunteered 1,000 hours in support of charities and community organizations located in Okotoks.
"TELUS' donation allowed us to purchase PPE equipment in the first wave of the pandemic, helping to keep our team of staff and volunteers, and our clients, safe!” said Pamela McLean, Executive Director. “We never had a shutdown of service at the Okotoks Food Bank during this pandemic, and having proper PPE had a great deal to do with that.”
These investments build upon TELUS’ continued commitment to bring world-leading connectivity to communities across the province, providing the technological backbone for Alberta’s 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 $51 billion in technology and operations in Alberta.
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.
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:
Chelsey Rajzer
TELUS Public Relations
TELUS Public Relations
[email protected]