Langley gets $10.5 million from telecom giant

Telus is investing $10.5 million in new communications infrastructure in Langley this year.

This investment is part of telecom’s plans to invest $4 billion in British Columbia by 2018 to bring advanced telecommunications infrastructure to every corner of the province.

Plans for the period from 2000 to 2018 call for Telus to invest more than $47 billion in British Columbia.

“As the population of Langley grows, the community’s demand for Internet and wireless services continues to skyrocket. We are committed to sustained investment in increasing the speed, capacity and reliability of our networks throughout the community for both businesses and residents,” said Bruce Dorwart, Telus director of Customer Solutions Delivery in Langley. “Our network is the communications backbone for many critical services throughout Langley, including education and health care, and this investment will contribute to the health of Langley’s citizens and economy now and into the future.”

“In the 21st century, B.C.’s digital infrastructure is as essential as our physical infrastructure,” said Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Amrik Virk. “This investment by Telus will help ensure Langley’s connectivity infrastructure will meet the growing demand for wireless and Internet services.”

In Langley this year and beyond Telus will:

Services

· Upgrade every wireless site to 4G LTE;

· Continue to rapidly deploy 700MHz wireless spectrum to further increase capacity;

· Commence planning for how to best put Telus’ newly purchased AWS-3 spectrum to work adding wireless capacity;

TelusHealth

· Further grow the important role of Telus Health, which currently provides electronic medical records to more than 14,000 Canadian physicians as well as health benefits management solutions to more than 9,000 pharmacies, 11,000 dental clinics and 25,000 extended health care providers across the country. Telus Health has invested more than $1.5 billion.

· Enable telehealth care with individuals living in remote communities including First Nations.

Business

· Protect critical communications services in disaster prone areas by upgrading and strategically locating infrastructure to mitigate risk to Telus’ network, while implementing new monitoring and preparedness plans for climate-related.

“Telus’ dedication to Langley extends well beyond our investments in operations and infrastructure,” continued Dorwart. “Since 2000, Telus and our 20,000 team members, community board members and retirees who live and work throughout British Columbia have been active with their hearts and hands, donating more than $120 million and working nearly 3.3 million volunteer hours with charitable organizations.”