Canadian telecom Telus first to offer shortened two-year wireless contracts

Canadians can finally say goodbye to the dreaded three-year cell contracts they've been strapped with for too long: Telus is now offering a two-year contract per Canada's new wireless code. The company announced as much today in a statement which said the new plans kick off on July 30th, with both unlimited talk and text included (not to mention shareable data on a single account). It's the latest addition to the company's long-standing "Clear and Simple" plan. The plans are available for individuals, families, and small business as well -- with up to 15 devices connected under a single plan with the latter option.

Most importantly, of course, Canadians can now enjoy the same two-year cycle of buyer's remorse that us Americans have been dealing with for years now. Just 23 months and 30 days until you can get that new phone!

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TELUS offers Canadians clear and simple two-year wireless plans

New SharePlus plan offers unprecedented value on any smartphone or tablet – unlimited
nationwide talk and text, household data sharing

TORONTO – TELUS today unveiled two-year clear and simple rate plans for both consumers and small business customers. Launching July 30, TELUS' new plans will feature unlimited nationwide talk and text and the ability to share data with multiple subscribers on the same account.

"In another significant step forward on our long-standing journey to put customers first in everything we do, we are introducing our next innovation in how we offer our wireless services," said Joe Natale, TELUS Chief Commerical Officer. "Just as we did with our Clear and Simple plans in 2009, we have listened to our customers and provided them with a choice that offers the best of talk, data and text for Canadians and their families.

"TELUS' new model will give customers peace of mind on their monthly bills with unlimited nation-wide talk and text and the ability to share wireless data across multiple devices in the same household," Mr. Natale added.

TELUS' Clear and Simple approach started in 2009, when TELUS eliminated system access fees and introduced all-in pricing plans. TELUS' clear and simple philosophy has seen the company embrace a keen focus on listening to customers and making real changes to its services based on their input, including:
Eliminating contract cancellation charges in favour of simple device balances
Re-writing contracts in plain language
Reducing international roaming rates by 60 per cent
Introducing easy and inexpensive device unlocking
Introducing international roaming data notifications and caps to eliminate bill shock
Creating flex plans
Eliminating device activation fees
Launching learning centres in our retail stores
Introducing a simple trade-in program
Adding caller ID and voicemail as standard in all plans

TELUS offers customers one of the world's largest 4G LTE networks – the fastest wireless technology in the world – already available to more than 70 per cent of Canadians, as well as Canada's most reliable 4G HSPA+ network.

Keeping it clear and simple with TELUS SharePlus
The new two-year TELUS SharePlus plan brings the best of talk, text and data together. With the new plans you first select the smartphones and tablets you want, with unlimited nationwide talk and text giving customers more certainty on their monthy bills. You then select one data plan that will cover all the wireless internet needs of you or your entire household – including smartphones and tablets. The cost per device goes down as more devices are added to the data plan on the primary account. You can add an existing device you already have to the plan, buy a new one outright and pay a lower monthly rate, or pay off a new device on an easy-pay plan amortized over two years.

Step 1 - Pick your Device
(Voice includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk and Text)
Step 2 - Pick your Data
(All data is sharable on the primary account; 5 cents/MB for overage)
Smartphone
$55
$15
250 MB
Smartphone Lite1
$45
$25
500MB
BYOD/SIM-only2
$35
$30
1GB
Tablet
$20
$45
2GB
Tablet (BYOD)
$10
$60
3GB


$100
6GB


$150
10GB

1 - The Smartphone category includes high-end devices such as the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry Q10, while Smartphone Lite includes lower-tier smartphones such as the iPhone 4 and Samsung GALAXY Ace II X.
2 - Bring your own device or "BYOD" refers to devices purchased at the month-to-month price or any unlocked device compatible with the TELUS network

Examples:
A single person gets a new iPhone 5 and a new Samsung tablet from TELUS, both on two year terms at discounted prices, along with a shared 1 GB data plan - $105 a month.
A family of four gets a new iPhone 5, a new BlackBerry Q10 (both on the Smartphone plan), and two new Samsung Galaxy Ace II X's (both on the Smartphone Lite plan), all on two-year terms at discounted prices. They already have a tablet, and add that to the data plan. They are fairly heavy data users, so decide to share 3 GB's a month - $270 a month for the entire family.
An individual already has their own smartphone they want to keep using so opt for the BYOD plan. While they talk and text a lot they don't use much data, just a bit of social media and a few apps. They go with the 250 MB plan - $50 a month total.

Similarly, TELUS will introduce two-year plans for Small Business. The TELUS Small Business SharePlus suite of plans was designed with small businesses in mind and offers fantastic value with unlimited nationwide talk and text and shared data across smartphones and tablets. Plans with U.S. roaming built in will complete the suite of plans for small business customers with 15 wireless devices or less per account.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $11 billion of annual revenue and 13.2 million customer connections, including 7.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.4 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 712,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com