MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - July 11, 2016) - This year, TELUS will invest $111 million in its communications infrastructure across Greater Montreal. By the end of 2016, TELUS' advanced fibre optic network throughout the community will stretch more than 4,000 kilometres - equivalent to the distance from Quebec City to Vancouver - while professionals, patients and students at several healthcare and educational facilities will be able to take advantage of faster and more reliable wireless connections as TELUS installs new in-building wireless networks.
"Fibre optic cables are the backbone of all TELUS communications infrastructure. Our significant investment to extend the reach of this technology - the world's fastest - paves the way for connected businesses, innovative health technologies and even the anticipated introduction of fifth-generation wireless networks," said François Gratton, Executive Vice-President and President, Business Solutions East and TELUS Québec. "Montrealers know us primarily as a wireless company, and may not know that TELUS has 3,500 team members in Montreal dedicated to helping businesses and the healthcare system thrive by facilitating their adoption of new communications technologies. Montreal is one of the world's smartest cities, and we will continue playing an active economic role in bringing the infrastructure and services the City needs for a smart and connected future."
Earlier this year, TELUS announced it will invest $2 billion in new communications infrastructure across Quebec by 2020, including $340 million this year alone. TELUS' investment in its fibre optic cables in Montreal will increase the network's transmission capacity and extend its reach into many sectors including Old Montreal, Anjou, Boucherville, Dorval, Île-Bizard, Pierrefonds and Pointe-Claire.
TELUS will also build indoor distributed antenna systems (DAS) this year in several health and educational facilities, including the McGill University Health Centre, the Montreal Heart Institute, the Jewish General Hospital and the Montreal University. These networks will deliver the world's most advanced wireless technology to professionals, patients and students throughout the facilities.
TELUS' infrastructure and technology investments will also:
- Wireless network - Increase the capacity, speed and reach of TELUS' wireless network across the city.
- Internet of Things - Support the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Quebec, driving solutions that will enable businesses to enhance their global competitive advantage, reduce their environmental impact and increase worker safety.
- Security - Foster advanced analytics, cloud-based security services and integrated security solutions to help Quebec businesses maintain strong security against a rapidly growing number of online threats.
- Cloud services - Support TELUS' broad range of managed cloud technologies, which enable companies to enhance flexibility and operational efficiency. Quebec businesses can now access the very first hybrid cloud offer in Canada, built on Cisco and Microsoft technology.
- TELUS Health - Extend the benefits of healthcare technology through TELUS Health, which currently provides electronic medical records to approximately 15,000 Canadian physicians as well as health benefits management solutions to over 10,000 pharmacies, 11,000 dental clinics and 33,000 extended healthcare providers across the country. TELUS Health has invested more than $1.6 billion to bring to market patient-centred solutions which are improving the flow of information across the healthcare continuum and enabling better health outcomes for Quebecers and all Canadians.
The investments announced in this media release are in compliance with TELUS' capital expenditure guidance for this year, which was issued on February 12, 2016.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX:T)(NYSE:TU) is Canada's fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12.6 billion of annual revenue and 12.4 million subscriber connections, including 8.4 million wireless subscribers, 1.4 million residential network access lines, 1.6 million high-speed Internet subscribers and 1 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.
About TELUS in Quebec
Over the next four years, TELUS plans to invest $2 billion in new facilities and infrastructure throughout Quebec. Led in Quebec by a team including François Gratton, Executive Vice-President and President, Business Solutions East and TELUS Quebec, by the end of 2020 TELUS will have invested more than $27 billion since 2000 to extend the reach of advanced wireless and wireline telecommunications infrastructure throughout the province. As part of that commitment, TELUS has directly connected homes, businesses, schools and healthcare institutions in more than 20 communities to its fibre network to support innovation and fuel the province's economic growth.
In support of its philosophy to "give where we live", TELUS, its team members and retirees have contributed more than $54 million and 540,000 volunteer hours to charitable and community organizations throughout Quebec since 2000. Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS has 15 local community boards dedicated to supporting local projects. Since their inception, the three Community Boards in Quebec have donated $12.45 million in support of thousands of local charitable projects with organizations such as L'Ancre des jeunes, Motivaction Jeunesse and the Marine Biotechnology Research Centre (MBRC).
In September 2012, TELUS opened a state-of-the-art Intelligent Internet Data Centre in Rimouski, Quebec. TELUS chose to build the centre in Rimouski due to its skilled workforce, cool climate and abundance of hydroelectricity, a source of green energy. Considered one of the most technologically innovative and energy-efficient Internet data centres in the world, the TELUS Rimouski Data Centre received LEED Gold certification for sustainable development in 2015.
Forward-looking statement
This news release contains statements about expected future events, including TELUS' projected multi-year capital and operating expenditures, which are forward-looking. The investments described for 2016 and through 2020 are subject to the review and approval of TELUS' Board of Directors. By their nature, forward-looking statements require the Company 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 and government decisions, the competitive environment, economic conditions, our ability to purchase spectrum licences through auctions or third-parties, and our earnings, free cash flow and financial position) could cause actual capital and operating expenditures to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, this news release is subject to the disclaimer and qualified by the assumptions (including the assumptions for our 2016 annual guidance, semi-annual dividend increases through 2016, ability to sustain and complete our multi-year share purchase programs through 2016), qualifications and risk factors referred to in the 2015 Management's Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, 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). Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements.
