CityWest is celebrating 100 years of service!  Click here to see Reflections of 100 Years. 

In 1910, before the incorporation of the City of Prince Rupert, several citizens pooled their funds and founded the Prince Rupert Telephone Company. A few months later the newly formed City Council created a debt of $40,000 to take over the Prince Rupert Telephone Company. At that time, the operation was a cordboard system where calls were connected by operators.

In 1954 an automatic exchange was installed and customers were sent instructions on how to use a dial telephone.

By 1979, a new 8000 telephone line electronic switch was installed and the need for "party lines" was eliminated. 

In 1993 cellular service was introduced, making Prince Rupert City Telephones the smallest company in Canada to offer cellular service.    In the 1990’s the Prince Rupert Telephone Company became CityTel. CityTel was the only independent, municipally-owned telecommunications company in Western Canada, offering landline telephone services, cellular services and Internet.

On August 10, 2005, the City of Prince Rupert incorporated CityTel into a new and separate entity, City West Group of Companies, through the holding company City West Cable and Telephone Corporation. The City of Prince Rupert is the sole shareholder of City West Cable and Telephone Corporation.

Then, on October 1, 2005, the newly incorporated City West Cable and Telephone embarked in a new direction, purchasing the northern BC cable assets and business of Monarch Cablesystems Ltd. As a result, CityWest’s service area expanded from Prince Rupert to Terrace, Kitimat, Smithers, Houston, The Hazeltons, Telkwa and Stewart.

In 2006 CityWest hired Ledcor to build a fibre-link along Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Terrace, which has enabled CityWest to expand their services. CityWest is quickly becoming a fully integrated digital communications company. In June 2007 we introduced digital cable TV in Terrace. In September 2007 we launched Digital Cable TV in Prince Rupert.  In November 2009 we opened our Terrace office to better serve our Terrace and Thornhill customers.  We then built a fibre between Terrace and Kitimat, and soon we will be offering Home Phone in Terrace, and digital cable TV to Kitimat.

CityWest works hard to offer progressive, affordable services to our customers. We are proud to be the premiere telecommunications and entertainment provider in Northern British Columbia.

Then	...and Now