Western Canada’s largest telco Telus Communications has announced a plan to invest an additional CAD1 billion (USD760 million) to connect the majority of homes and businesses in the city of Vancouver directly to the company’s fibre optic network over the next five years. In a release on the quadruple-play operator’s website, CEO Darren Entwhistle said that the rollout in the British Columbian city would add more than 400,000 homes, businesses, hospitals, community centres and municipal offices to the direct fibre footprint, whilst the fibre last-mile infrastructure would also serve as an ultra-high speed backbone for Telus’ cellular network. When the first Vancouver neighbourhoods are fully connected – scheduled for early 2016 – residents and businesses will initially be offered internet speeds of up to 150Mbps, while in the coming years Telus says it will raise this speed cap on the gigabit-enabled FTTH network ‘as demand continues to increase’.

The fibre plan for Vancouver forms part of Telus’ commitment to invest an additional CAD4 billion in British Columbia through 2018. When combined with operational expenses, this will bring Telus’ total investment in British Columbia over the next four years to more than CAD11.5 billion. By 2018, Telus will have invested more than CAD47 billion in British Columbia since 2000.

Thanks to TeleGeography for the article.