TELUS revealed this week that the telecommunications giant intends to invest more than $70 billion over the next five years toward expanding and enhancing its infrastructure and operations across Canada.
The move arrives “against a backdrop of macroeconomic uncertainty,” according to chief executive officer Darren Entwistle.
Entwistle says TELUS is “committing to bold, future-focused technology investments.”
“We recognize that sustained, transformative capital deployment is not only critical for advancing digital inclusion, but also for unleashing Canada’s full economic potential in the years to come,” the CEO stated.
The investment will help fuel TELUS PureFibre connectivity to homes and businesses across B.C., Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, as well as deploy “targeted enhancements” to 5G and LTE networks.
TELUS is a member of the BC Tech Association.
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TELUS even intends to help tackle Canada’s ongoing housing crisis by redeveloping central office buildings into “TELUS Living initiatives” as part of the firm’s copper retirement program.
“The $70-billion investment we are making across Canada transcends traditional connectivity; it is powering advanced digital services, fuelling innovation across all sectors of the economy and propelling our productivity as a nation,” remarked Entwistle. “This investment is a cornerstone of Canada’s competitiveness on the global stage, driving critical transformational change and advancing our leadership in Canadian AI sovereignty, innovation, and development.”
Beyond connectivity, TELUS is working with NVIDIA on building out “Sovereign AI Factories” in Kamloops and Quebec to provide Canadian businesses, startups, and researchers with cutting-edge AI infrastructure, helping them develop advanced AI models while keeping sensitive data within the country’s borders.
“Our Sovereign AI Factories are the first of their kind in Canada and represent a key step forward in our country’s AI journey,” Entwistle stated in April. “This will not only make Canada even more competitive and future-ready, it will also enable the acceleration of innovations in key areas of importance in the hearts and minds of Canadians, such as health, sustainability and agriculture.”
TELUS—the first North American service provider to become an official NVIDIA Cloud Partner—has also been working with Google Cloud to improve it data infrastructure.
In addition, the firm was recently featured as a case study in BIAC’s report, entitled “Boosting Productivity and Business Growth – the Role of Artificial Intelligence Skills,” for its notable adoption of AI technologies.
The Vancouver-based company has invested nearly $300 billion since 2000 and today serves over 20 million customers.
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