TELUS is investing $1.5 million to further expand its Prince George call centre and create 100 new local jobs in the next six months to support the growth of Optik TV. TELUS is already taking applications for new call centre agents, and will hire steadily through the first half of the year as the expansion of the centre continues.

"TELUS’ new Prince George team members will join our existing team supporting the continued expansion of Optik TV services across B.C. and Alberta," said Chris Jensen, TELUS general manager for northern B.C. "We are looking forward to getting to work on the renovations and hiring so our new colleagues can get trained and start serving customers ordering TELUS’ Optik TV."

Optik services are the result of TELUS’ massive investment in new infrastructure over the last decade, and continuing again this year with a $1.7 billion investment across Canada. Locally, TELUS invested more than $26 million in Prince George in 2010 to extend the reach and speed of its advanced wireline and wireless broadband services in the community, allowing it to launch Optik TV in Prince George in November.

"Since 2000, TELUS has invested $22 billion in infrastructure and operations across British Columbia," said Jensen. "Last year, as part of our $650 million investment across British Columbia, we focused more than $26 million on bringing one of the world’s most advanced wireless networks, high speed internet and high definition Optik TV to our customers right here in Prince George."

TELUS is rebuilding the remaining half of the floor in its 6th Avenue building that was turned into an expanded contact centre in 2008 to add new work spaces and a training room.

Expansion of the Prince George contact centre began in 2008 with a $1.3 million renovation that allowed TELUS to increase the size of the contact centre from 75 to 166 agents. On completion of the 2011 expansion TELUS will employ about 266 contact centre team members in Prince George, including 24 hired in 2010 to support the growth of Optik TV. TELUS currently has a total of 292 team members in Prince George, which will grow to about 392 once the new call centre is fully staffed.

Anyone interested in applying for the new Prince George jobs can visit TELUS’ HR site at www.telus.com.

TELUS recently began offering Optik TV, powered by award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom, in British Columbia and Alberta communities as it continues to extend its fibre optic networks. TELUS invested $650 million in infrastructure in B.C. in 2010 to increase internet speeds, introduce Optik TV to more communities, and expand its wireless network.

Optik TV provides never before seen functionality and features, and more than 480 channels, including 85 in High Definition (HD). With PVR Anywhere, one PVR acts as a server for the entire home so that Optik TV subscribers can watch and record shows on any TV, record up to three shows at once, and pause a program in one room and pick it up in another, right where they left off. Recently TELUS introduced Remote Recording, an application that allows Optik TV subscribers to manage their PVR recordings from any Internet connection, iPhone or select BlackBerry device. Optik TV also offers: Picture-in-Picture browsing; onscreen Call Display; HD Video On Demand; HD Pay Per View; and an improved search capability that enables effortless searches for shows and movies by actor, director, show title or sporting event, for immediate viewing or recording in the future. With Optik TV, TELUS customers can even use their Xbox 360 as a digital television box. It’s easier and more flexible than ever.

TELUS also offers TELUS Satellite TV service which complements TELUS’ Optik TV by expanding the availability of TELUS home bundles, including TELUS TV, home phone and High Speed Internet to more than 90 per cent of households across British Columbia.

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