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“Step one in our new enhanced connectivity company, with all of the acquisitions and divesting we did last year, is to make sure we’ve got our fair share of Internet customers on our network,” Little said. “There’s no way around that step.”

Cable companies will have an advantage over traditional telcos over the next few years, as its possible to deliver higher speeds over existing cables without needing to spend billions on fibre connections.

“We don’t have to dig up peoples’ lawns,” Little said, adding that Shaw can deploy its ultra-fast deal to 93 per cent of its footprint.

But that window of opportunity will close in a few years as Telus invests across its footprint. Telus is speeding up its capital investments to take advantage of low interest rates and to give customers the fast Internet they really want, executives told investors on a quarterly conference call this summer. Telus has only deployed fibre to about a third of its footprint, although it’s upload speeds are significantly faster after it does.

“We’re trying to load people onto this product to prepare ourselves for the pivot this company’s made,” Little said. “You lean in with your best offer when people are waking up to speed’s importance.”

In July, Shaw announced the aggressive deal for 150 Mbps download and 15 Mpbs upload speeds with a 1 terabyte data cap for $49.90 for the first year and $79.90 thereafter on a two-year contract. Telus hit back this month with a deal for 150 Mbps upload and download speeds with 1 TB of data for $47 for the first three months and $85 thereafter on a two-year contract.