Telus said last week the copper-to-PureFibre transition of its network is driving significant sustainability benefits and contributing to Canada’s net-zero targets, having already resulted in a cumulative reduction of more than 7,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions since 2018, the Vancouver-based telecom claims.
“This is attributed to the decommissioning of thousands of copper devices and our copper retirement program, where we have recycled or repurposed more than 3,600 tonnes of copper, offsetting the need to mine new copper sources,” a Telus press release says.
“Copper plays a vital role in Canada’s electrification strategy, supporting the transmission and distribution network, as well as renewable technologies. By strategically repurposing copper, TELUS is directly contributing to the country’s electrification goals and building a circular economy around this valuable resource,” Tony Geheran, chief operations officer at Telus, said in the release. “Our proactive metal recycling initiative sets the standard for an industrial-scale recycling program, further solidifying TELUS’ leadership in sustainability.”
Starting in 2018, Telus began migrating its residential customers from copper to PureFibre, with more than half a million customers successfully migrated to date, according to the release.
As of the end of 2023, Telus has migrated 98 per cent of eligible customers, with 14 key geographies across British Columbia and Alberta now completely copper free, the release says, “paving the way for the numerous benefits inherent with PureFibre, including faster speeds, and increased resilience to extreme weather events, ensuring that TELUS’ network remains available even during severe weather emergencies.”
Telus PureFibre is up to 85 per cent more energy efficient than copper, says Telus, adding “This energy efficiency has reduced network repair activity and technician visits by two-thirds, resulting in fewer tailpipe emissions from our fleet.”
“The network investment from copper to fibre is a significant step towards achieving our sustainability goals while providing our customers with a more reliable and future-proof network,” the release says.
