TELUS is investing $18 million in new communications infrastructure in Ottawa this year to enhance the reach, speed, and capacity of TELUS’ wireless network; help deliver better healthcare services through technology; and continue to bring new Internet of Things solutions to its business customers.
This significant investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $2.1 billion in Ontario through 2018 to bring advanced telecommunications infrastructure across the province, enabling sustained innovation, providing access to world-class education programmes, extending critical healthcare technology to more communities, and fueling economic growth. By the end of 2018, TELUS will have invested more than $42 billion in Ontario since 2000.
“Our networks provide the backbone for Canada’s emerging digital economy, and increasingly our healthcare systems,” said Ted Woodhead, TELUS senior vice-president of regulatory affairs. “This significant investment will increase the speed and capacity of our wireless and IP networks throughout Ottawa, supporting new innovations in businesses while contributing to a healthy Canadian economy. I want to thank our local team members who work day and night to maintain our networks that support critical services such as education and healthcare, particularly during extreme weather events and emergency situations.”
In Ottawa this year and beyond TELUS will:
Services
– Continue to upgrade TELUS wireless towers across Ontario to 4G LTE, enhancing the already exceptional speed, coverage and reliability experienced by TELUS customers;
– Commence planning for how to best leverage TELUS’ newly purchased AWS-3 spectrum to add much needed wireless capacity across the province;
– Continue to rapidly deploy 700MHz spectrum for use in rural and urban areas.
Health
– Further grow the important role of TELUS Health, which currently provides electronic medical records to more than 14,000 Canadian physicians as well as health benefits management solutions to more than 9,000 pharmacies, 11,000 dental clinics and 25,000 extended healthcare providers across the country. TELUS Health has invested more than $1.5 billion to bring to market patient-centric solutions that improve the flow of information across the healthcare continuum and enable better health outcomes for Ontarians and all Canadians.
– Support eHealth Ontario and their mandate to improve health services by connecting healthcare providers with timely access to electronic health records. Connecting the Greater Toronto Area makes important health information available electronically to clinicians, improving the health services received by close to half of all Ontarians. Enabling direct access to blood test results and CT scans, for example, avoids inconveniencing patients and duplicating costly tests. Moreover, having access to discharge summaries allows community care workers to plan for support services needed by patients post discharge, thus improving effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare delivery and the experience for patients.
Business
– Invest heavily in core areas of network, security, cloud computing and Internet-connected devices to facilitate the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in Ontario, partnering with Ontario’s technology sector to develop innovative solutions that make Canadian businesses more productive and profitable.
Community
– Expand the reach of TELUS WISE, a free program available to all Canadians focused on keeping families safer online through Internet and smartphone safety education. Since its launch in 2013, this program has reached more than 100,000 Ontarians through more than 150 community learning sessions.
– Partner with local organizations on social initiatives through TELUS Community Boards and employee charitable giving, providing an expected $10M in funds in 2015 alone. In 2014, the Ontario TELUS Community Boards donated $1.1 million in support of 73 local charitable projects. Since inception, the Ontario TELUS Community Boards have donated more than $11.1 million in support of 690 local charitable projects.
= Last year, more than 15,000 TELUS team members, retirees and family members participated in the ninth annual TELUS Days of Giving, volunteering their time at 700 activities in 36 communities across Canada. In 2015, TELUS expects more than 4,400 volunteers to participate in TELUS Days of Giving in Ontario alone.
– Support sustainability and environmental stewardship in Ontario through TELUS’ target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent from 2010 levels by 2020. To date TELUS has achieved an 18 per cent absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
“TELUS’ dedication to Ottawa extends well beyond our investments in operations and infrastructure,” continued Woodhead. “Since 2000, TELUS and our team members, community board members and retirees who live and work throughout Ontario have been active with their hearts and hands, donating more than $70 million and working nearly 440,000 volunteer hours with charitable organizations.” The capital investment disclosed in this release is consistent with TELUS’ overall capital expenditure guidance for 2015, issued on February 12, 2015.
