Blazing fast TELUS Internet 250 lands in Penticton, Naramata and West Bench

Offert en anglais seulement.

Direct fibre connection dramatically boosts speed and data capacity.

Penticton, B.C. – Penticton, Naramata and West Bench are the latest B.C. communities with access to the fastest home Internet speeds TELUS offers – 250 Mbps upload and download speed. Late last year, TELUS announced it was investing $26.5 million to connect more than 90 per cent of premises in the area directly to its fibre optic network. Construction work is underway, and TELUS anticipates the build will be complete by the end of the year.

TELUS has made significant investments to bring fibre directly to the doorsteps of homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in all major Okanagan communities from Vernon to Osoyoos, making the Okanagan region home to the most advanced fibre network in Western Canada.

“TELUS PureFibre and symmetrical upload and download speeds have reimagined the Internet experience as we know it,” said Tony Geheran, TELUS Executive Vice-President and President of Broadband Networks. “With Internet 250, you can download an HD movie or upload 100 high-resolution photos in just seconds. As technology evolves, the network we are building today will be equipped to keep pace and offer even faster speeds. This places Penticton, Naramata and West Bench at the forefront of the digital revolution, and gives the communities a true competitive advantage.”

The TELUS team is currently in the area knocking on doors and speaking directly to residents about connecting their property to the fibre network. There is no cost to accept the build, and no requirement to take TELUS services once the build is complete. In addition to offering access to the fastest speeds TELUS offers, a direct fibre connection can increase the value of a home by up to three per cent.

“Adding Canada’s fastest internet to our laid-back South Okanagan lifestyle makes us an extremely attractive location for any business looking to expand or set up shop,” said Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. “Technology is a key component to our Economic Development strategy and were excited to be one of only 3 cities in British Columbia to receive this enhanced service. The availability of this service to our residents and businesses is a huge win and we are excited to have TELUS building on the momentum and growth being fostered in the City.”

"The installation of TELUS PureFibre in the community of Naramata is a very welcomed addition,” said Karla Kozakevich, Chair of the Regional District of Similkameen. “Improved Internet services allow for more home based business owners and their families to call our community home."

Penticton, Naramata and West Bench are also some of the first Western communities to have access to 4K Television from TELUS. With four times the resolution of HD, 4K delivers a lifelike viewing experience with astonishing picture quality. TELUS is the first carrier in Western Canada to offer 4K programming. TELUS’ 4K lineup includes TSN 4K, adrenaline sports (e.g., snowboarding, surfing and dirt biking) and On Demand. To enjoy 4K programming, customers will require a 4K TV, a 4K PVR, as well as a minimum of Internet 50 to support 4K streaming. TELUS’ new 4K PVRs will store up to 400 hours of HD content, or up to 100 hours of 4K content – double the capacity of TELUS’ current HD PVR. TELUS 4K PVRs are available at no additional cost with a two-year commitment.

This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.5 billion throughout B.C. between 2016 and 2019, at no cost to taxpayers. Since 2013, TELUS has connected more than 50 communities across B.C. to the TELUS PureFibre network. For more information, please visit telus.com/penticton, and for a list of connected communities, please visit telus.com/fibre and click ‘view fibre communities’.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12.8 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million subscriber connections, including 8.6 million wireless subscribers, 1.7 million high-speed Internet subscribers, 1.4 million residential network access lines and more than 1.0 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, and is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider.

TELUS in B.C.:

TELUS is planning to invest more than $4.5 billion in new infrastructure and facilities across its home province of British Columbia between 2016 and 2019. By the end of 2019 TELUS expects to have invested more than $51 billion in British Columbia since 2000 to extend the reach of advanced wireless and wireline telecommunications infrastructure throughout the province. As part of that commitment, TELUS has connected homes, businesses, schools and healthcare institutions in more than 24 communities directly to TELUS’ fibre network in order to support sustained innovation and fuel the province’s economic growth. The TELUS Health team is leveraging technology innovation to deliver better health outcomes for British Columbians as a leading provider of electronic medical records for physicians and as a partner of the B.C. government in introducing home health monitoring.

In support of the company’s philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, team members and retirees have contributed more than $135 million and 3.76 million volunteer hours to charitable and community organizations throughout British Columbia since 2000. TELUS has 15 local community boards dedicated to supporting local projects. The three Community Boards in B.C. have donated more than $12.9 million in support of nearly 1,500 local charitable projects since inception, in partnership with regional TELUS Community Action Teams.

In September 2015 TELUS opened its new headquarters, TELUS Garden, located in downtown Vancouver. Rich with innovative architectural, technological and environmental features, TELUS Garden is the first office tower in Canada to receive the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for sustainable development. The one million square foot development also includes a 53-storey residential tower currently under construction and targeting LEED Gold standards with 424 green homes and retail space.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Liz Sauvé
TELUS Media Relations
(604) 719-6715
[email protected]