Telus ready to fend off Wind

Article Excerpt

TELUS $37.70 (Toronto symbol T; Shares outstanding: 600.1 million; Market cap: $22.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.7%; www.telus.com) will now face heightened competition in Western Canada from Shaw Communications (Toronto symbol SJR.B) after Shaw’s recent $1.6-billion purchase of wireless carrier Wind Mobile. Wind operates in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. By adding Wind, Shaw will be able to offer wireless service to its customers, in addition to its main cable television, satellite and Internet offerings. Telus already sells similar bundles in Western Canada, so Shaw’s move will increase competition for new customers. However, Wind uses older cellular technology, so Shaw will have to upgrade its networks if it expects to lure customers away from Telus and other big carriers. In addition, Telus’s strong focus on customer service should help it hang onto subscribers. Telus is still a buy. buy…