The province of Alberta, Canada is getting an influx of investments from TELUS to the tune of $4.2 billion through 2018. This will come in the form of $1 billion this year alone in expanding and advancing fiber optic internet access, increase wireless speeds, expand rural coverage with LTE advance, investments in health care, and offering Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. When you combine this with their operational expenses, TELUS’ total investment in Alberta adds up to over $11 billion over the next four years and totals more than $45 billion since 2000. Premier Jim Prentice said, “TELUS is showing confidence in the Alberta economy, and creating the jobs and infrastructure people will rely on for years to come. We appreciate the company’s commitment to growth, and their ability to bring the best technology to Albertans’ doorsteps.”
TELUS expects to upgrade every wireless site in Alberta to 4G LTE and to connect more homes and businesses in several communities directly to their fiber optic network to improve speeds and services for healthcare and education. They need to work on the best solutions for deploying the new AWS-3 spectrum, while continuing to expand their 700MHz spectrum for use in urban and rural areas. They also want to enhance their Future Friendly Home Solutions with new content and consumer-friendly basic and specialty TV packages.
TELUS wants to further grow and enhance the importance of TELUS Health, which currently handles electronic records for more than 14,000 Canadian physicians, over 9,000 pharmacies, 11,000 dental clinics and 25,000 extended healthcare providers across the country. They will work with the government and physicians to connect with patients to enhance their services.
TELUS wants to work with businesses with their growing technology requirements and will invest heavily into main areas of networking, security, cloud computing and internet-connected devices to further grow the Internet of Things (IoT) in Alberta. They will continue in constructing their environmentally friendly and technologically advanced LEED Platinum TELUS Sky office tower building in downtown Calgary – this should create 250 new jobs by the fall of 2017. They will also work to upgrade their TELUS Calgary Internet Data Centre, as they continue to partner with the community to increase safety, promote charities and volunteering their time in local and national activities. Darren Entwistle, TELUS Executive Chair said, TELUS’ commitment to improve the lives of Albertans by providing the world’s most advanced communications technology is unwavering. TELUS networks now reach 99 per cent of the province, making Alberta one of the most connected places on the planet.”