TELUS laid out its investment plans and goals for 2016, and they appear to be very aggressive. They announced investments of $370 million in Vancouver, $275 million in Edmonton, $130 million in Calgary, $62 million in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and $30.5 million in Ottawa. TELUS says that this infrastructure investment will roll out across the country during 2016 and by the end of 2016, they plan on having LTE coverage over 99-percent of the Alberta and Ontario areas and 98-percent of British Columbia. TELUS also plans on updating TELUS storefronts and extend its fibre optic network. They are already trying to expand their role in business solutions, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud-based security services, and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solutions.
In the nation’s capital, this is all part of TELUS’ commitment to investing $1 billion in Ontario by 2019 “to bring advanced telecommunications infrastructure to every corner of the province.” Ted Woodhead, TELUS senior vice-president of regulatory affairs, said, “We’re nearly doubling our investment in the national capital region this year, reflecting our commitment to providing advanced telecommunications connections here, and across Canada. In connecting businesses and healthcare facilities in the nation’s capital directly to our broadband network, we are opening up opportunities for them to operate more efficiently and become even more innovative in how they deliver critical services.” Their desire is to expand its healthcare solutions to provide electronic records for medical, pharmacies, dental clinics and healthcare providers across the country.
Andrea Goertz, TELUS Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer says that, “TELUS has deep roots in Calgary, and we’re committed to continuing to invest in our resilient community and province now and into the future, creating jobs and opportunities for Albertans, and ensuring Alberta stays a step ahead in the growing digital economy.” They will be reaching the ground level on TELUS Sky – their new office building that will blend office, residential, and retail spaces. They are working to connect more homes and businesses on their gigabit-enabled fibre network to meet the growing demands. TELUS will expand their gigabyte-enable fibre network to cover the increases in demand that area is facing. They want to improve the reach, speed, and capacity of their high-speed internet. Tony Geheran, TELUS Executive Vice-President and President of Broadband Networks said, “Our investment of $370 million this year reflects TELUS’ commitment to provide our neighbours with the fastest, most robust communications technology available anywhere in the world today.” TELUS started with IoT back in 2014 and has continued to invest in their infrastructure – possibly the reason for the cost of smartphone plans.