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In 1904, Edmonton’s father of the telephone Alex Taylor sold his
company to the city for $17,000. Edmonton began the operation of its
new utility on 1 January 1905 variably under the name City
Telephones or City Telephone System, a brand name that would remain
unchanged for 66 years.
In 1967, perhaps in keeping with Centennial Year celebrations,
the utility became known by the lower-case name, edmonton
telephones—or et, predating Steven Spielberg’s science-fiction movie
of the same name by 15 years. For many Edmontonians, however, the
only name to stick would be Ed Tel.
In 1995, TELUS acquired Ed Tel from the City of Edmonton for $467
million, ending the era of government-owned telecommunications
carriers in Alberta.
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