Telstra Announces Plans for Expansion into Canada

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Dedicated Toronto Point-of-Presence to Support Increasing Demand for Connectivity into APAC from Canadian Finance, Tech and Startup Industries

NEW YORK – October 27, 2020 – Telstra, a leading global telecommunications and technology company, today announced plans to expand its network into Canada with the establishment of a new Point-of-Presence (PoP) in Toronto, and upgrading infrastructure that will connect Canada to its trans-Pacific subsea cable networks. The subsea cable networks will carry data from Canada into the Asia-Pacific region, where Telstra owns and operates the largest subsea cable system (with more than 250,000 miles of subsea cables globally) and currently carries nearly one-third of all Asia-Pacific internet traffic.

For more than two decades Telstra has provided international connectivity into all the major economies in APAC for U.S.-headquartered businesses across industry verticals including finance, manufacturing, technology and broadcast media. This expansion will allow a wide range of Canadian businesses to leverage Telstra’s network for existing Asian operations as well as strategic growth into the region.

Nicholas Collins, President of Telstra, Americas, said, "Simply put, Telstra makes Asia easy -- our deep technology experience, a world-class network and access to local support staff throughout Asia enables us to help companies quickly open up access to new growth markets. We are excited to be expanding our presence into Canada."

"Canada has long been one of our most requested routes, and we believe that the time is right to provide a new, world-class option for Canadian businesses seeking to securely connect into the Asia-Pacific region," said Collins.

Outside of the U.S., Asia is Canada’s largest trading partner. With the Toronto PoP, to be located in the heart of the Financial District, Telstra will connect Canada’s flourishing tech industry with a growing middle class – estimated to grow by an additional 1.5 billion by 2030 – in the Asia-Pacific market. Beyond the financial industry, Telstra sees strong benefits for established and startup businesses in the tech, media and manufacturing sectors.

"Connectivity truly drives expansion. Telstra’s presence in Canada will help local enterprises seamlessly connect with Asia to pursue their growth strategies, by establishing or upgrading communications and connections with trans-Pacific offices, subsidiaries or partners," continued Collins.

In addition to being Canada’s most populous city, Toronto’s booming technology and finance industries, welcoming immigration policies and a general openness to innovation has made the city a viable alternative to Silicon Valley and the perfect location for tech companies and for Telstra. Toronto’s technology sector has grown over 85% since 2014, according to a recent report issued by the city. In addition to thousands of start-ups, tech powerhouses Airbnb, Facebook and Google have set up shop in Toronto in recent years, all contributing to Canada’s US $1.7 trillion dollar GDP.

"As the leading provider of connectivity from North America to Asia, we look forward to enabling and supporting the continued growth of Canadian enterprises as they expand their markets and serve their customers across the Asia-Pacific region," said Collins.

About Telstra

Telstra is a leading telecommunications and technology company with a proudly Australian heritage and a longstanding, growing international business. We have been operating in the Americas for over 25 years under the Telstra Enterprise division, which provides data and IP transit, internet connectivity, network application services such as unified communications and cloud, and managed services to over 500 businesses in 160 cities in the region. Our products and services are supported by one of the largest fiber optic submarine cable systems reaching Asia-Pacific and beyond, with licenses in Asia, Europe and the Americas, and access to more than 2,000 points-of-presence around the world. Through our unparalleled network reach and reliability as well as market-leading customer service and expertise, we connect businesses in the Americas to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, including China, Southeast Asia, North Asia, and Australia. For more information, please visit www.telstra.com/americas.