TELUS Communications: TELUS Québec
Leading the way for TELUS Québec is HUGUES ST-PIERRE: "TELUS Québec's objective is to become Bell Canada's chief competitor for customers in the Québec business market. We currently have five per cent of the overall market in Québec. We are aggressively attacking the remaining 95 per cent with the help of our dynamic people. Capturing a mere 10 per cent of Québec business will triple our business volume. I firmly believe TELUS Québec will be an active player in helping Team TELUS realize its business vision."
TELUS Québec team members in our Rimouski office Clockwise, from top left: John Smith, Jocelyne Gagné, Marie-Josée LeBlanc, Sonia Beaudoin, Raphaël Chassé and Carl Bussières

TELUS Québec currently operates more than 300,000 lines serving residential and business customers in the Eastern Québec regions and generates revenues of $377 million. The acquisition of QuébecTel by TELUS on June 1, 2000, was a tremendous accomplishment. The $584-million transaction accelerated TELUS' entry into Québec by about two years and provided a solid customer base, experienced employees and deep market knowledge. It also freed them to aggressively pursue growth initiatives across Québec that were previously limited by its foreign-owned status.

> Pursuing Growth Opportunities

With a long-term vision of becoming a leading communications provider in Québec, we are pursuing a growth strategy that focuses on data and IP services.

TELUS Québec is continuing to target business customers. Aligned with TELUS' overall strategy, innovative solutions are being developed for the Québec market to provide customers with integrated data, IP, voice and wireless services.

TELUS Québec recently developed an integrated solution for Americ Disc, one of North America's largest independent compact-disc manufacturers. TELUS Québec put a network in place to link Americ Disc's plants and service centres located in Canada and the United States. TELUS Québec manages the network and provides Web hosting as part of an innovative solution.

> Implementing Efficiencies

Improving productivity and reducing costs remain a key focus for TELUS Québec. Working with TELUS Business Transformation, we will be focusing on opportunities to increase efficiencies to thereby increase our margins.

We also created Versalys, the consolidation of four subsidiaries, to offer a broad range of e-business services to business customers.

> Expanding across Québec

We're increasing our presence in major centres like Montréal and Québec City with the addition of sales and customer service management and employees.

On the network side, we have established an IP network to offer voice and digital services using state-of-the-art ATM and SONET technologies. This network reaches more than 90 per cent of business customers in Québec and our fibre optic network links six of the largest cities in the province.

> Developing our People

TELUS Québec has a dynamic team of people dedicated to providing innovative solutions and pursuing additional growth in the business market.

To encourage employees to gain additional knowledge in the emerging world of data applications, we implemented an employee training program called Télécom Modular Training. The program gives employees an opportunity to become more knowledgeable in the world of data. To date, more than 400 employees have taken advantage of the program, which is offered through the Internet or educational institutions.