MONTREAL, QUEBEC — (Marketwired) — 03/21/16 — (TSX: T)(NYSE: TU) – TELUS intends to invest $2 billion in new communications infrastructure across Quebec through 2020. This year alone, TELUS will invest $340 million in the province to extend fibre optic infrastructure directly to thousands of homes and businesses in rural and urban communities, further strengthen wireless service, and support key services including healthcare with new technologies.
“By the end of 2020 TELUS will have invested more than $27 billion in Quebec since 2000,” said Francois Gratton, Executive Vice-President and President, Business Solutions East and TELUS Quebec. “This sustained commitment attests to our confidence in Quebec–s future, and our determination to support that future and the competitiveness of our economy through investment that directly helps companies become more productive, supports better healthcare through technology, extends fibre optic infrastructure in communities across eastern Quebec, provides Quebecers with unmatched entertainment and Internet services, and connects us wirelessly faster and more securely than ever before.”
TELUS– infrastructure and technology investments will advance services for the benefit of all Quebecers, in 2016 and beyond, including:
Services
Business
Health
Community
TELUS, which has approximately 6,000 team members in Quebec, has also contributed $2 billion in payroll, property taxes and other taxes in Quebec since 2000, supporting services for residents across the province. Combined with the salaries paid and goods and services purchased in the province, TELUS– total operating investment in Quebec since 2000 has been $12 billion.
The investments announced in this media release were reflected in TELUS– capital expenditure guidance for 2016, which was issued on February 12, 2016.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T)(NYSE: TU) is Canada–s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12.5 billion of annual revenue and 12.5 million customer connections, including 8.5 million wireless subscribers, 1.5 million residential network access lines, 1.6 million high-speed Internet subscribers and 1.0 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.
For more information about TELUS, please visit .
TELUS in Quebec:
TELUS is planning to invest $2 billion in new infrastructure and facilities across the province of Quebec over the next five years. By the end of 2020 TELUS expects to have invested more than $27 billion in the province since 2000 to extend the reach of advanced wireless and wireline telecommunications infrastructure throughout the province. As part of that commitment, TELUS has connected homes, businesses, schools and healthcare institutions in multiple urban and rural communities directly to TELUS– fibre network in order to support sustained innovation and fuel the province–s economic growth.
In support of the company–s philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, 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 inception, the three Community Boards in QC have donated more than $12.4 million in support of thousands of local charitable projects with such organizations as L–Ancre des jeunes, Motivaction Jeunesse and Fondation du CRBM.
In September 2012, TELUS opened its state of the art Intelligent Data Centre located in Rimouski, Quebec. TELUS built the centre in Rimouski due to the community–s skilled workforce, cool climate and abundant green hydroelectricity. Considered as one of the most technologically advanced and energy efficient Internet data centres in the world, the TELUS Rimouski Data Centre received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (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 that are forward-looking. The investments described for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are subject to the ongoing 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 program through 2016), qualifications and risk factors referred to in the 2015 Management–s Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which are specifically incorporated by reference herein, 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 forward-looking statements.
Contacts:
Luiza Staniec
TELUS Media Relations
514-619-3600
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