TELUS Mobility is coming to the North.

On Monday, the communications company announced plans to begin offering cell phone services in Whitehorse and Yellowknife.

As of Sept. 6, Yukoners will be able to sign up for phone packages with the national company.

"At TELUS, we're on a mission to lead the world in customer service reflecting our passion for excellence in caring for our clients,” Darren Entwistle, TELUS' president and CEO, said in a statement.

"We are committed to bringing all Canadians, whether urban or rural, in the spectacular North and from coast to coast, our world-class network and broad range of the latest smartphones and devices.

"We look forward to serving even more communities across Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut as TELUS' 4G and 4G LTE coverage expands.”

Starting next month, northerners will be able to sign up for a new plan online or by calling TELUS.

Spokesperson Chris Gerritsen, said Monday a lease has been signed for a TELUS store in Whitehorse, though the company is not releasing any specific details on that just yet.

The store will be up and running before the end of the year, he said.

Decisions by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission over the last year or so have made it easier for new communications companies to come North and compete with the services offered by Northwestel Inc.

But Gerritsen insists plans for TELUS to come north were in the works long before any ruling by the commission.

"Moving into the North is something we felt we needed to do. All of Canada is important to us, and we always try and connect all of Canada.”

As a promotion trumpeting the arrival of the company, TELUS will be donating $25 for every Whitehorse phone number activation.

The money will support new technology to aid in the early detection of developmental disabilities at Yukon Child Development Centre.

A similar charity drive is also happening in Yellowknife, benefiting the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation's obstetrics unit.

"With patients from all 33 communities across the Northwest Territories, plus the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut – the largest geographic area in Canada – the Obstetrics Unit at the Stanton Territorial Hospital helps deliver more than 600 babies a year,” said Rebecca Alty, the foundation's executive director.

"To maintain the excellent level of care we provide to patients, the hospital needs constant upgrades and it's through generous partners like TELUS that we can accomplish this.

"We're incredibly grateful for their support.”

Both campaigns will run from Sept. 6, 2013 to May 6, 2014, contributing up to a maximum of $25,000 for each charity.

For now, TELUS will only be offering cell phone plans — voice and data.

When it comes to questions of expanding services to include offering the Internet in the North, Gerritsen was tight-lipped.

The company would be willing to considering Internet, but there are a lot of steps that would be involved before a decision could be made, he said.

"I'm sure our competitors would love to know.”

A Northwestel spokesman said this morning the company has no comment on TELUS' arrival.

TELUS said it collects $11.2 billion in annual revenue.

It has 13.2 million customer connections, including 7.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.3 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 743,000 TELUS TV customers.