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Telus Hopes to Offer High-Definition IPTV in Coming Year

8:27 am on December 13, 2006 | Category: Business, Internet, Telecom Services, Television

Cable and satellite providers have long been competing for dominance in Canadaâ€™s pay-television industry, but as telephone carriers increasingly eye this huge market, there could soon be more players in on the game.

Telus Corp. has already begun offering IPTV services in many neighborhoods of Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently in the process of a $600 million network expansion effort that will enable the company to begin offering HDTV in many urban areas in the new year.

The Telus TV basic cable service is available at a monthly cost of just $22, with expanded theme packs costing an additional $25/month. A high-speed internet subscription is required to use the service.

“The phone (line) allows us, with the technology advancements that have taken place in the last decade, to have a phone conversation, surf the web and watch TV,” said the carrierâ€™s vice president of content and enhanced services, Fred Di Blasio, who says that the many unique features available with IPTV will eventually make it a serious nationwide alternative to cable and satellite.

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