TELUS Launches BlackBerry Z10 Smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10 in Canada

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2013 /CNW/ - TELUS today launched the new BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry® 10 in Canada. The new BlackBerry Z10 is the first smartphone to launch with the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform, giving customers a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience. The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is the fastest and most advanced BlackBerry smartphone yet, and offers a smarter experience that continuously adapts to a customer's needs.

The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone will be available in-store at TELUS on February 5, 2013 for $149 on a 3-year term with a minimum $50 monthly plan* before tax or $650  month-to-month. Customers can also pre-order the new BlackBerry Z10 from TELUS starting today at www.telusmobility.com/BlackBerryZ10.

"Our customers want smartphones that help them be faster, more efficient, and more effective," said David Fuller, Chief Marketing Officer, TELUS. "We carefully select only the best products for our customers and focus on giving them the best possible start with distinctive supporting services and programs like our TELUS Learning Centres, Anytime Upgrades, Device Trade-in and Flex Data Plans. We're excited about the potential the new BlackBerry 10 platform brings to the marketplace and to our customers."

"The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone delivers a powerful new platform for BlackBerry customers. Combined with 4G LTE network and service plans from TELUS, BlackBerry Z10 customers will be delighted with a re-invented communication experience, seamless multitasking, easy access to multiple social networks, and the peace of mind that BlackBerry security gives them," said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Global Smartphone Business at RIM.

BlackBerry 10 is a re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience. BlackBerry 10 gives customers a faster and smarter experience that continuously adapts to their needs. Every feature, every gesture, and every detail is designed to keep customers moving and includes advancements such as:

• Peek and Flow into the BlackBerry Hub -  A new mobile computing paradigm where what matters to customers is always only one swipe away
• Keyboard -  Understands and adapts to customers, so they can type faster and more accurately
• BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) -  Allows customers to share things with the people that matter to them in an instant
• BlackBerry® Balance™ technology - Protects what is important to customers and the businesses they work for

TELUS is putting customers first and embracing new ideas to make the TELUS experience better.

Part of our superior customer experience is helping customers learn how to get the most out of their new device such as the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone. TELUS Learning Centres are unique to the Canadian market. Found in more than 200 TELUS locations across Canada, Learning Centres are there to provide personalized, one-on-one training sessions to new BlackBerry Z10 customers with a TELUS Learning Specialist.

In addition, after listening to customers, TELUS has eliminated activation fees while dramatically simplifying its entire fee schedule. This builds on a series of improvements made over the past several years where TELUS has also eliminated carrier 911 and system access fees on all its Clear and Simple rate plans, reduced bill shock with Flex Data Plans, Data Notifications and Worry-free Travel, added Caller ID and Voicemail as standard on all TELUS rate plans, simplified device pricing with Anytime Upgrades, and revolutionized mobility contracts by introducing a Device Balance instead of a contract termination fee.

TELUS customers can also get 4G LTE coverage in more places with an expanding network that now covers nearly 70 per cent of the Canadian population. TELUS' 4G LTE coverage provides peak download speeds of up to 75 megabits (Mbps) per second, with an expected average of 12 to 25 Mbps ** and if a TELUS customer travels outside of 4G LTE network coverage areas, they will move seamlessly to the existing 4G HSPA network with no disruption of service.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.8 billion of annual revenue and 13.0 million customer connections including 7.6 million wireless subscribers, 3.4 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 635,000 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 $300 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.8 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.

BlackBerry, RIM, Research In Motion and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited. RIM is not responsible for any third party products or services.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation