TELUS is investing $1.8 million this year in the North Island region including the communities of Campbell River, Port Hardy, and Port McNeill.
This commitment is part of TELUS’ $13 billion investment in network infrastructure and operations across British Columbia through 2024 to further support the province throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery.
TELUS’ significant investments in the North Island include:
– Bringing blistering-fast 5G network speeds to Campbell River, Port Hardy, and Port McNeil utilizing current spectrum holdings, enabling residents and businesses to access the fastest 5G network in Canada, providing speeds up to 1.7 Gbps. TELUS will have connected 187 communities as well as 119 First Nations communities and 335 Indigenous lands across the province to 5G by the end of this year. It is estimated that 5G will create 250,000 jobs and contribute $150 billion to Canada’s economy over the next 20 years.
– Building new wireless infrastructure in response to the increasing demand for enhanced wireless connectivity throughout the city, ensuring TELUS wireless networks continue to meet and exceed the demands for reliable and fast connectivity across the North Island region.
– Connecting more households and businesses in Port Hardy and Port McNeill to the gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network, Western Canada’s largest fibre-to-the-premise network that supported more than 3.5 million British Columbians as they adapted to new ways of living throughout the pandemic. TELUS PureFibre first came to Port Hardy and Port McNeill in 2017, and was ready to withstand the additional demands of COVID-19, particularly as the symmetrical upload and download Internet speeds enable residents to work with large files at home while other family members can simultaneously be learning, streaming entertainment, or video chatting with friends.
“TELUS is proud to make this generational investment across Northern Vancouver Island, providing the technology to connect citizens to loved ones, as well as vital resources and information as we continue to navigate the global pandemic,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “Now more than ever, TELUS is committed to keeping our citizens and communities connected and productive through our globally leading wireless network, underpinned by our award winning TELUS PureFibre infrastructure that provides the backbone for our 5G-enabled world.”
“High speed fiber optic internet has been a game changer for Port McNeill,” said Gaby Wickstsrom, Mayor of Port McNeill. “We can now attract a variety of home-based entrepreneurs, and businesses in the region offering data-based services have increased their competitive capabilities because of the investment TELUS has made. It has opened the door to medical services such as telehealth and made accessing quality health care more equitable for everyone.”
Throughout the challenging past year, TELUS donated $5,750 to The John Howard Society of North Island to support families impacted by the Pacific Heights apartment fire. The donations were used to restock pantries, purchase baby supplies, and look after other needs of the families.
“Along with BC Housing and crisis services in Campbell River, TELUS was an integral part of the community response to the April 8, 2020, Pacific Heights apartment fire that left ninety-seven adults and children homeless with limited means during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Wendy Richardson, Executive Director at The John Howard Society of North Island. “Each family communicated that the unexpected extra help was much appreciated. The sense that the community cared about how they were doing made a big difference during a very difficult time. By the summer of 2020, all the fire evacuees found housing, either in market rentals or BC Housing’s newly purchased building, the Riverside.”
To support communities throughout the North Island in the last year, TELUS’ networks helped residents and businesses as we all adapted to new ways of living. 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.
TELUS is also supporting small businesses through its second national #StandWithOwners initiative, investing $1 million to promote these vitally important organizations in 2021. TELUS is proudly supporting small business with funding, localized advertising, and mentorship as they move forward. To apply, businesses can visit telus.com/standwithowners.
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