Telus likes to talk a good game in its technological innovation, developing a “power of the internet first” strategy, but it faces some stiff challenges from Rogers and Bell Mobility. However, despite its long history and number two status in the market, it grants itself something of a challenger mentality, and it is proud of its status as one of the few major western operators to be increasing service revenues and profitability.
The roots of the company are in a series of mergers and acquisitions of regional telcos, with companies with roots in Quebec, Alberta, British Colombia consolidating into a national provider. Perhaps the most important of these in terms of geography, branding and imagery, as well as corporate communication, was the acquisition of Clearnet Communcations in 2000. This gave the company its access to core markets in Ontario and also to its “friendly” branding, often featuring the cute animals you see decorating these pages.
For all that, the company remains rooted in Vancouver. This may seem trivial until you consider that one of the reasons given for the recent CEO Joe Natale’s upcoming exit was his unwillingness to move his family to British Columbia. Natale’s exit brought a return for former CEO Darren Entwhistle from his move “upstairs” to an executive chairman role. This commitment to B.C. is also evident in a new HQ in Vancouver, a building that is known as Telus Garden and could indeed vie for the utilisation of that most over used descriptor, state-of-the-art.
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This article was first published in TMN Q Magazine issue 11. The Smart Network edition. You can read this article in full plus, read how operators can embed intelligence in the network along with features on the smart RAN and Het Net. There’s also an in depth look at Low Power IoT, and 5G’s path to standardisation and much more. Simple registration here.
