Updates on Telus Corp. and Manitoba Telecom Services

Article Excerpt

TELUS CORP. $54.20 (Toronto symbol T.A; SI Rating: Above average) is the second-largest provider of telecommunication services in Canada, after BCE Inc. It has over 4.5 million regular telephone customers and 1.1 million Internet subscribers in British Columbia, Alberta and parts of Quebec. The company also has 5.1 million wireless customers nationwide. In the three months ended June 30, 2007, gains in Telus’s earnings per share excluding unusual items rose 5.8%, to $0.73 a share from $0.69 a year earlier. Revenue rose 4.4%, to $2.23 billion from $2.14 billion. Telus’s high exposure to wireless helps cut its reliance on its traditional phone business, which is facing growing competition from cable companies and Internet-based phone services. Wireless revenues rose 11% in the latest quarter. But profits were hurt by the implementation of a new billing system and new rules that let customers keep their existing cellphone number when they switch providers. However the company’s focus on more affluent users and long-term customers should help…