TELUS secures new 3800 MHz spectrum licences
MWN-AI** Summary
TELUS, a leading Canadian telecommunications company, has recently secured new 3800 MHz spectrum licences in British Columbia and Alberta for $317.6 million during the ISED's Residual Auction. This acquisition is pivotal for enhancing TELUS's 5G wireless broadband capabilities, which will allow the company to better serve its growing customer base and advance its network evolution across Canada.
Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO, emphasized that this acquisition aligns with the company’s commitment to enhancing its infrastructure and network quality. The new spectrum will optimize existing resources, supporting critical applications in public safety, industry automation, and artificial intelligence. This strategic investment reflects TELUS's dedication to fiscal discipline, ensuring no adverse effects on its deleveraging plan, with a goal to reduce net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios over the coming years.
The 3800 MHz band is particularly crucial for 5G as it strikes a balance between speed and coverage, accommodating high volumes of data connections while maintaining extensive geographic reach. TELUS's successful bid has positioned it as an industry leader, now holding an average of 104 MHz of prime mid-band spectrum at an attractive cost of $0.82 per MHz-pop.
This acquisition not only advances TELUS's strategic growth initiatives in British Columbia and Alberta but also enhances its capability to meet the surging demand for wireless data connectivity. As TELUS continues to prioritize quality service and community contributions, this investment is a vital step toward reinforcing its market position and enhancing connectivity for both urban and rural customers across Canada.
MWN-AI** Analysis
TELUS Corporation's recent acquisition of 3800 MHz spectrum licences for $317.6 million marks a pivotal advancement in its strategy to dominate the Canadian telecommunications landscape. This purchase positions TELUS as a key player in the mid-band spectrum, integral for 5G deployment due to its optimal balance of speed and coverage.
From a market perspective, this strategic acquisition enhances TELUS' capacity to meet the increasing demand for high-quality mobile data services, particularly in the growing urban and rural Canadian environments. The investment reflects fiscal discipline, signaling to investors that TELUS is focused on sustainable growth, as evidenced by its guided net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio target of below 3.0 times by the end of 2027. Such fiscal prudence is crucial in ensuring that TELUS maintains robust financial health as it continues to expand its service offerings.
Moreover, with competition intensifying in the telecommunications sector, TELUS is positioning itself ahead of its competitors by securing critical spectrum at an attractive price point—averaging $0.82 per MHz-pop. This not only strengthens TELUS’ existing spectrum portfolio but reinforces its commitment to delivering advanced services, including mission-critical applications and AI optimizations.
Moving forward, investors should monitor TELUS' progress regarding the deployment timelines and operational integration of the newly acquired spectrum. Potential growth in revenue streams from industrial automation and private wireless networks could yield significant returns. Furthermore, given TELUS' strong community engagement and an expansive global footprint, it is well-placed to innovate and leverage technology for customer-centric solutions.
In summary, TELUS' proactive spectrum acquisition positioned within a disciplined financial framework presents a robust investment opportunity, underlining its strategic objective of operational excellence while solidifying its leadership role in the evolving 5G landscape.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Canada NewsWire
Following ISED's residual auction for unsold spectrum, TELUS secures key mid-band spectrum to support and power our growing customer base and continued network evolution for the benefit of Canadians
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 9, 2026 /CNW/ - TELUS today announced the acquisition of new 3800 MHz spectrum licences in B.C. and Alberta at a cost of $317.6 million. These licences – purchased during ISED's Residual Auction – will enable TELUS to deliver enhanced 5G wireless broadband connectivity to its customers and will continue to optimize the network speeds Canadians have come to expect.
"In alignment with our commitment to always be building Canada, the acquisition and deployment of this spectrum will further enhance the advancement of our 5G growth strategy and the globally leading network quality, speed and coverage we provide to Canadians," said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. "Importantly, this spectrum will complement TELUS' existing holdings to support emerging 5G applications that our team is progressing and that enable mission critical applications with dedicated and secure resources, such as public safety advanced communications, industry automation and private wireless networks, as well as real-time, high availability services for AI applications. Indeed, as the demand for wireless data continues to grow, the acquisition of additional 3800 MHz spectrum will maximize our network capacity and enable TELUS to deliver enhanced urban and rural connectivity to our customers. In addition to allowing us to invest in strategic growth within B.C. and Alberta, TELUS' investment reflects our commitment to fiscal discipline as the acquisition of these valuable spectrum assets are consistent with our capital plan. Importantly, there will be no impact to our deleveraging plan, with 2025 net debt to adjusted EBITDA currently at 3.4-times, as we aim to reach circa 3.3-times or lower by year-end 2026, and 3.0-times or better by the end of 2027."
The Residual Spectrum auction was designed to sell spectrum that remained unsold from previous auctions, with the majority of this leftover spectrum located in B.C. and Alberta. Among all participants in the auction, TELUS successfully obtained the most spectrum at an attractive price. This positions TELUS as an industry leader with an average of 104 MHz of prime 5G mid-band spectrum in the 3500 and 3800 MHz bands nationally, acquired for an average price of $0.82 per MHz-pop. This will further support TELUS' efforts to always be building Canada.
The 3800 MHz band is mid-range spectrum that has become the critical global band for 5G innovation, as it offers the best combination of speed – due to its wide channels – and coverage. Its frequency can support large numbers of mobile data connections and still cover large areas, making it highly conducive to 5G deployment.
Forward-Looking Statements
This media release contains statements about future events, including with respect to spectrum deployment and network build-out plans, and regarding our deleveraging plan and projected net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio. 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 (such as regulatory and government decisions, the competitive environment, our earnings and free cash flow, and capital expenditures and spectrum licence purchases) could cause actual future performance and events to differ materially from that expressed in the forward looking statements. These statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable securities laws in Canada and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Disclosure regarding our financial targets is presented for the purpose of assisting our investors and others in understanding certain key elements of our expected financial results as well as our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook. Such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, this news release is subject to the disclaimer and the qualifications and should be read together with the risk factors and assumptions set out in our 2024 annual management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), and updated in our third quarter 2025 MD&A, and in other TELUS public disclosure documents and filings with securities commissions in Canada (on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca) and in the United States (on EDGAR at sec.gov).
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a world-leading communications technology company operating in more than 45 countries and generating over $20 billion in annual revenue with more than 20 million customer connections through our advanced suite of broadband services for consumers, businesses and the public sector. We are committed to leveraging our technology to enable remarkable human outcomes. TELUS is passionate about putting our customers and communities first, leading the way globally in client service excellence and social capitalism. Our TELUS Health business is enhancing more than 150 million lives across 200 countries and territories through innovative preventive medicine and well-being technologies. Our TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods business utilizes digital technologies and data insights to optimize the connection between producers and consumers. Guided by our enduring 'give where we live' philosophy, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $1.8 billion in cash, in-kind contributions, time and programs including 2.4 million days of service since 2000, earning us the distinction of the world's most giving company.
We're always building Canada.
For more information, visit telus.com or follow @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.
For more information, please contact:
Richard Gilhooley
TELUS Public Relations
778-868-0235
richard.gilhooley@telus.com
SOURCE TELUS Communications Inc.
FAQ**
How will the acquisition of new 3800 MHz spectrum licences impact Telus Corporation TU's ability to enhance network coverage and speed for its customers in British Columbia and Alberta?
Considering the total cost of $317.6 million for the new spectrum, how does Telus Corporation TU plan to ensure that this investment aligns with its overall fiscal discipline and capital plan?
Can Telus Corporation TU provide insights on the expected timeline for deploying the newly acquired 3800 MHz spectrum and how it will support emerging 5G applications?
With the recent expansion in spectrum capacity, what are Telus Corporation TU's strategic measures to maintain its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving telecommunications market?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Telus Corporation (TSXC: T:CC).
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