TELUS earmarks USD790 million for broadband development

Canada’s TELUS Corp has released plans to invest nearly USD800 million over the next three years to expand its broadband network and launch a wide range of new services, including high-definition digital television. It has earmarked USD190 million in 2006 for network upgrades in 38 communities in British Columbia, Alberta and eastern Quebec, and announced on Friday a USD600 million spending plan taking it up to 2009. The company says it has invested more than USD1 billion in its broadband infrastructure since launching high speed internet services in 1997. TELUS and rival Shaw Communications compete fiercely in western Canada, with TELUS recently losing residential fixed line telephony customers to IP-based services offered by Shaw and other VoIP providers such as Vonage. TELUS has responded by rolling out its broadband TV service in Alberta, with plans to expand the service to Vancouver in coming months.