VANCOUVER — Telus Corp. (TSX:T) is giving a $700-million boost to its wireless and wireline broadband infrastructure in Alberta, one of its single largest capital spending announcements to date.
The investment is part of its annual $2.05-billion capital budget — the most it has spent in eight years — and will help build its next-generation wireless network based on the latest version of a technology known as high-speed packet access.
“This investment is expected to ensure an optimal future transition to long-term evolution (LTE) technology, the emerging worldwide standard for fourth generation or 4G (fourth generation) networks,” Telus said Tuesday.
The new network, expected to be launched nationwide early next year, will help Telus expand the reach of its high-speed Internet and digital television service. It will also improve its business services in such sectors as oil and gas, health care, and education.
Although Telus has recently seen drops in wireless subscriber growth and the amount each customer spends on extra features, the network investment is the right move, said Carmi Levy, an analyst with AR Communications in Toronto.
“You are only as good as your network,” Levy said.