TELUS brings new wireless service to Gold River and Tahsis
TELUS now provides service to all British Columbian communities with 1,000 residents or more
Vancouver, B.C. – TELUS has invested $2 million to build two new cell sites in Gold River and Tahsis, bringing vital wireless voice and Internet services to these west coast Vancouver Island communities for the first time. In addition to this investment, TELUS is collaborating with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation to upgrade wireless services in the community of Tsaxana later this year.
“Without question, all Canadians should have access to the transformative benefits of connectivity, including the tools and resources to connect them to the people and information that matter most” said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. “Our team’s efforts to increase wireless capacity in rural and urban communities across Canada, including our home province of British Columbia, will ensure residents have access to the personal, educational, health, and economic benefits that will enable them to participate fully in our global digital society. Residents also now have access to the Babylon by TELUS Health service, a free downloadable app that enables British Columbians to have one-on-one virtual consultations with a B.C.-licensed physician at their convenience from their smartphone. Recognizing more than 800,000 British Columbians do not have a family doctor, this service promises to be life-changing in providing more residents access to critical healthcare. This connectivity also marks a critical milestone for TELUS as we have now connected every community in British Columbia with 1,000 residents or more to our world-leading network. We thank the communities of Gold River and Tahsis for their continued support and advocacy, and we look forward to working with provincial and local governments to continue prioritizing rural connectivity across our province.”
These new cell sites connect users to TELUS’ 4G LTE network, which has earned global recognition as the best network in Canada from third party organizations. Just last week, TELUS announced it has been recognized as the best network in Canada for 4G Wireless Availability, Video Experience, Download Speed Experience, Latency Experience, and Upload Speed Experience in Opensignal’s Canada: Mobile Network Experience Report, in addition to earning 2019 Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage Speedtest Awards™ in Canada from Seattle-based Ookla® for Q3-Q4 2019.
In 2019, TELUS was recognized by industry-leading experts, including OpenSignal, Ookla, J.D. Power, PCMag, and Tutela, building on an outstanding record of achievement with respect to network excellence, having earned the top spot in four out of five of the major mobile network reporting for the third consecutive year in a row or more. Notably, these awards are based on TELUS’ national networks, inclusive of both urban and rural coverage. A recent Opensignal report found that if rural Canada was its own country, it would rank 12th in the world in respect to wireless download speeds, with rural Canadian users on average experiencing faster 4G speeds than users in the United States, Sweden, New Zealand, and France.
“Our government has been a champion of connectivity; we are working hard to ensure people across our province have reliable cellular service. The benefits to people and BC’s economy are immense from education, emergency response, and the ability to do business quickly and efficiently,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “This investment will have a direct impact on the local communities and I want to thank TELUS for supporting cell service in Tahsis and Gold River.”
“Tahsis and Gold River are vibrant communities with an entrepreneurial spirit – they are gateways to West Coast adventure that welcome visitors from all over the world,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and MLA for the North Island. “This technology is important for our coastal communities and their strong tourism sectors. Improved connectivity will also help businesses.”
“Gold River is very excited to finally have cell coverage,” said Gold River Mayor Brad Unger. “This will definitely increase Tourism and business opportunities in the future. It will also be a huge benefit for our protective services (Police, Fire, Ambulance and Health Clinic). We have worked with TELUS for many years to achieve this strategic priority. Thanks for your investment in Gold River TELUS.” “Tahsis is celebrating the arrival of cell service as increased connectivity is central to promoting our community’s economic development, especially tourism. TELUS heard our pitch for cell service and delivered,” said Mayor Martin Davis of Tahsis.
This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.7 billion throughout British Columbia between 2017 and 2020, at no cost to taxpayers.
About TELUS
About TELUS TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with $14.7 billion in annual revenue and 15.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. We leverage our global-leading technology 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. TELUS Health is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world’s most established brands.
Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all Canadians for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired our team members and retirees to contribute more than $700 million and 1.3 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.
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Liz Sauvé