TELUS investing $110 million to connect Richmond and Steveston homes and businesses directly to advanced fibre optic network


Direct fibre connection will dramatically boost data capacity, providing local homes and businesses access to the gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network

 


(L-R) Matt Pitcairn, President & CEO of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce; Nelson Kwan, Vice Chair & Treasurer, Success Board of Directors; Angelo Carteri, Director of Customer Solutions Delivery at TELUS; Queenie Choo, CEO of the SUCCESS Foundation; Leigh Tynan, Director of Business Strategy Development at TELUS; Tyler Mooi, Municipal Relations at TELUS; and Christine Brodie, Board of Directors at the Success Foundation

RICHMOND, B.C.: TELUS is investing $110 million to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in Richmond and Steveston directly to its fibre optic network. Construction work is currently underway, and TELUS anticipates connecting the majority of homes and businesses by the spring of 2019.

“Broadband Internet is essential in our emerging digital economy,” said Tony Geheran, TELUS Executive Vice-President and President of Broadband Networks. “Whether you’re looking for the fastest symmetrical upload and download speeds or the most reliable network technology, a direct connection to the TELUS PureFibre network delivers it all, making it the best network available in Richmond. This new connectivity will boost the local economy by encouraging investment and helping local businesses thrive, whether they’re established large operations or small home-based start-ups. For households, a direct fibre connection will pave the way for next-generation home entertainment and innovative smart-home technologies that promise to transform our homes and enrich our lives in ways we’ve yet to imagine.”

The gigabit-enabled TELUS PureFibre network is among the most advanced communications infrastructure available in the world today, enabling residents to immediately take advantage of dramatically faster Internet speeds of at least 150 megabits per second, while businesses, schools, healthcare providers and other institutions can access even more speed and capacity. The TELUS PureFibre network offers symmetrical service, which provides significant benefits for applications like video conferencing, gaming, home security, retail and healthcare. As demand and Internet technologies evolve in the coming years the TELUS PureFibre network will continuously enable offer faster speeds and more capacity.

Local healthcare providers, educators and technology companies will be able to draw upon the technology to reimagine how they deliver existing services and develop entirely new solutions. This new fibre optic infrastructure will also be the backbone of TELUS’ wireless network, enabling more wireless capacity and faster speeds throughout the region, and lays the groundwork for 5G technologies in the years ahead.

TELUS strives for social and digital equality in the all connected world, and recognizes that a connection to the Internet is fundamental to youth and their families’ success in the digital economy. In keeping with their philosophy to Give Where We Live, for every sign-up on the TELUS PureFibre network in Richmond this fall, TELUS will donate $25 to S.U.C.C.E.S.S. up to $20,000. With more than 20 locations in Metro Vancouver, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. assists new immigrants, provides counselling to families, promotes the development of children and youth, and offers a variety of education, business development and employment related training to community members. Since 2000, TELUS, its team members and retirees have contributed more than $1.7 million and volunteered 89,000 hours to charities and community organizations in Richmond.

This investment is part of TELUS’ commitment to invest $4.7 billion throughout British Columbia between 2017 and 2020, at no cost to taxpayers. For more information, visit telus.com/purefibre.