TELUS investing $280 million in the Greater Toronto Area over next three years

TORONTO, June 5, 2012 /CNW/ - TELUS will invest $280 million in the Greater Toronto Area over the next three years to further enhance and expand TELUS' 4G LTE service, using the fastest wireless technology in the world.

"TELUS' $280 million investment in the GTA over the next three years will enhance and expand the most advanced, fastest wireless technology available in the world today," said Johnnie-Mike Irving, managing director of Business Solutions, TELUS. "The demand for wireless services is exploding in the Greater Toronto Area and TELUS is committed to making investments in infrastructure and technology to better serve our customers and their communities. We are deeply grateful for the hard work and outstanding commitment of our more than 6,200 local team members and retirees and for the support of our customers."

This significant investment is part of $650 million in infrastructure upgrades being made across Ontario through 2014 and builds upon the $22 billion TELUS has already invested in operations and technology throughout the province over the last 10 years.

TELUS' commitment also extends to supporting local charities and community organizations.

"As important as our infrastructure investments are to our success, our commitment to local community organizations is near and dear to our hearts. TELUS believes deeply in the symbiotic relationship between the success of business and the welfare of our communities," continued Irving. "We embrace a simple philosophy - we give where we live - and we take great pride in the social outcomes we are helping to realize. Since 2000, our TELUS family of more than 6,200 employees and retirees in the GTA have donated more than $21 million and, more importantly, volunteered 167,000 hours with our hearts and our hands, to local community and charitable organizations including SickKids Foundation, the Children's Aid Foundation and Doctors without Borders Canada."

In addition, the TELUS Toronto Community Board has contributed $4.5 million in support of 262 local charitable projects for organizations including Arts for Children and Youth (AFCY), Leave Out Violence (LOVE) and The Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC), since its inception in 2005. Moreover, the Board will donate $700,000 to GTA grassroots charities in 2012.

TELUS' $280 million investment over the next three years will enhance and expand its new 4G LTE service in the GTA. TELUS' 4G LTE network supports manufacturers' rated peak download speeds of up to 75 megabits per second (Mbps), with an expected average of 12 to 25 Mbps.

The capital investment disclosed in this release is consistent with TELUS' overall capital expenditure guidance for 2012.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.5 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million customer connections including 7.4 million wireless subscribers, 3.5 million wireline network access lines and 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 550,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Eleven TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

Forward looking statement:
This news release contains statements about expected future events of TELUS that are forward-looking. By their nature, forward-looking statements require the Company to make assumptions and predictions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from that expressed in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.

Elisabeth Napolano
TELUS Media Relations
416- 906-9830
[email protected]