Telus is investing $60 million to connect homes and businesses in Maple Ridge directly to its fibre optic network.

This investment is part of the company’s commitment to invest $13 billion in infrastructure and operations across B.C, through 2024.

Work on the PureFibre network in Maple Ridge is already underway, and Telus anticipates the majority of homes and businesses will be connected by the end of 2023.

The company says PureFibre is ready to withstand the additional demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling people to work with large files at home while other family members could simultaneously be doing virtual school, virtually connecting with healthcare practitioners, or staying socially connected.

“Telus is very proud to be making this generational investment in Maple Ridge, providing the technology to bridge geographic and socio-economic divides and connect citizens to the people, resources and information that make their lives better, particularly as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus.

He said PureFibre enables entrepreneurs, start-ups and home-based businesses and workers to benefit from the same Internet speeds, reliability and security that large enterprises enjoy. In June, Telus was named the fastest Internet service provider in Canada by New York-based PCMag for the second consecutive year.

“Council is pleased that citizens and business owners will have access to improved broadband service that will fulfill their needs today and into the future,” said Mike Morden, Mayor of Maple Ridge. “This investment complements our Connected Community Strategy, which is under development, as we aim to offer world-class technological infrastructure to create jobs and diversify our tax base.”

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Residents can expect to see Telus trucks throughout the community as construction begins. Once homes are connected, residents can immediately begin taking advantage of “dramatically faster and symmetrical Internet speeds,” said a company release.

Since 2000, Telus has invested nearly $240 billion nationally in network infrastructure, operations and spectrum, including more than $53 billion in technology and operations in B.C.

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