Telus further plans for 5G

Article Excerpt

TELUS $49.19 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 600.0 million; Market cap: $29.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.4%; www.telus.com) is Canada’s third-largest wireless carrier, after Rogers Communications (No. 1) and BCE (No. 2). It also sells landline telephone and Internet services in B.C., Alberta and eastern Quebec. As part of Ottawa’s latest auction, the company has agreed to pay $931 million for new 600 MHz radio frequencies (or wireless spectrum) in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. That outlay is equal to 58% of the $1.6 billion, or $2.68 a share, that Telus earned in 2018. The new spectrum will help the company with its plan to launch ultrafast 5G wireless Internet service. The 600 MHz band is important to telecom providers for its ability to travel great distances in rural areas and infiltrate barriers to better reach “in-building locations” such as elevators and parking garages. This makes it highly conducive to 5G deployment. Telus is a buy. buy…