cellphone new

If you live in Swift Current and have a TELUS phone you may have noticed it's working a little quicker these days.

They've followed SaskTel as they've also expanded their 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network coverage into Swift Current.

That means customers in the community can take advantage of dramatically faster wireless Internet speeds when surfing the web, reading emails or accessing music or video.

"We're pleased our customers in Swift Current are now among the more than 27 million Canadians who can enjoy access to the world's fastest wireless technology," said Brent Johnston, vice-president, TELUS Mobility Solutions. "We continue to invest in expanding and improving our network service, community by community across Saskatchewan."

4G LTE is the new standard for wireless technology around the world, with most new handsets built to take advantage of its superior speed.

Interview with Chris Gerritsen

"If you have a device that has the capability to utilize the speeds of LTE you will notice much, much faster download and upload speeds," said TELUS spokesman Chris Gerritsen.

"We are committed to providing service for our customers regardless of where they are," Gertisen said. "This is a global economy.  Regardless of whether or not you're in a small town in Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC or anywhere in Canada."

In Saskatchewan, TELUS' 4G LTE network service supports manufacturers' rated peak download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), with an expected average of 10 to 15 Mbps. This means downloading a 600 megabyte album of songs with a 4G LTE-capable device could take as few as three and a half to seven minutes and a 1.2GB HD movie from iTunes could happen as quickly as between seven and 14 minutes. If TELUS customers travel outside of 4G LTE network coverage areas they will move seamlessly from 4G LTE to the existing 4G HSPA network with no disruption of service.

They don't yet have the service available in rural southwest Saskatchewan but say they are working to expand it there.