This week, the City of Airdrie welcomed the Telus PureFibre as it's network of choice for Airdrie.  

Airdrie plans to work with Telus to bring the PureFibre network to the area.  Once complete, homes and businesses in the city will be able to connect to the fibre optic network.

The network is built from flexible, transparent fibres of glass that are only slightly thicker than a human hair.  Those fibres transmit data as particles of light, allowing large volumes of information to be sent to your home or business at speeds they say are close to lightning.

Mayor Peter Brown is excited about the prospects the new network will bring to Airdrie.  "I'm no techy guy," says Brown, "but apparently, this new fibre, which is generational so, think about that, your grandchildren it'll be the same fibre that they'll use, you can download a movie in a second or two.  Currently, it's about a minute, minute and a half, I'm not sure."

Brown says you don't have to buy the PureFibre network if you're not a Telus subscriber, but he says it will make sense to have it come to your door.

"The value that they say that you can capture when you re-sell your house, they have data that shows that.  You don't have to buy it if you don't want to, but you'd be crazy not to have it come to your door."

The introduction of the PureFibre network corresponds with last year's rollout of the 10-year Economic Development Strategy,  It will connect the community through technology, helping to draw entrepreneurs and talent to the city and will set businesses up for success.

Construction on the network is happening now and will last for around two years.  Telus PureFibre services are launched as each neighbourhood or area is built.

Brown says Telus' investment will amount to about $60 million.  He says that many things that Telus does align well with Airdrie's goals.

"They do a lot of things outside of their core business.  They're very into Telus Health which aligns with a lot of the things we're doing right now.  We're just excited to see this opportunity come and provide this level of service and connectivity to the rest of the community."

As construction continues, the city will need to close down lanes.  You can keep abreast of those closures and which neighbourhoods are affected on the city's website.   

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