TORONTO – While there were some bright spots during Rogers Communications first quarter, they weren’t enough to make up for weaker results than what Bay Street was expecting.
While wireless adjusted operating profit increased 3%, margin grew to 48.3% and postpaid churn declined to 1.20%, revenue dropped by 2%, the company reported today for the three month period ended March 31st.
According to the company’s release, “consolidated operating revenue was nominally lower than the first quarter of 2013, reflecting a 2% decline in wireless revenue, offset by growth at business solutions (up 1%) and media (up 8%). The decline at wireless…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications executive vice-president, regulatory and vice-chairman Phil Lind has let it be known inside Rogers that this will be his last year in an operations role at the company for which he has worked for 45 years.
Lind has had a storied career with Rogers, working together with founder Ted Rogers until the latter’s death in 2008 (Lind is pictured here with Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette, left and Astral Media co-founder Ian Greenberg, right, upon his induction into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2012). He was seen as the man who…
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TORONTO – Telus really wants to buy Mobilicity and has made another bid for the company, despite the knowledge the federal government really doesn’t want to see this deal happen.
Late Thursday, Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Holdings and its affiliates (collectively, Mobilicity) announced Telus would acquire it for $350 million. The proposed transaction will move forward under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act rules. Mobilicity has been under creditor protection since September.
"The transaction is a good outcome from Mobilicity's restructuring efforts and extensive sales process," said William Aziz, Mobilicity's chief restructuring officer, in the press release. "I am confident the transaction…
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VANCOUVER, CALGARY, and TORONTO – Rogers wasted no time in deploying its new 700 MHz spectrum, flipping the switch for customers in select Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto communities on Thursday.
Rogers said that its 700 MHz spectrum makes its LTE network even better for customers by offering improved signal quality in basements, elevators and in buildings with thick concrete walls, meaning customers will have more LTE signal bars on their phones and tablets and will be less likely to drop down to lower speeds.
The company added that it will continue to roll out 700 MHz in both rural and urban…
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ANOTHER ROUND OF LAYOFFS has led inexorably to another spasm of handwringing, navel gazing and a week of “what are we going to do about the CBC?” The reactions have largely been predictable, eye-rolling and boring – generally a waste of everyone’s time.
It was shocking when last Thursday’s big town hall meeting called by CBC leadership turned out to be, for the most part, just about cutting the public broadcaster’s head count yet again – with a vague promise about a new vision for the pubcaster to come sometime before the summer. Many honestly believed…
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MISSISSAUGA – The first Canadian CommTech East Show & Seminars proved a hit this week, surpassing the hopes of the organizers.
More than 800 attendees from the cable, telco cable, wireless, ISP and related industries attended the two-day event which offered 29 seminars, live demos and a sold out trade show with over 2,000 products and services from more than 80 North American manufacturers and distributors.
Show organizer Linda Guzman said attendance exceeded her expectations, and was record breaking for CommTech Show’s eight year history. The show has been a staple for cable and telecom engineers and technicians out west, first…
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TORONTO – The Movie Network announced Wednesday The Movie Network GO (TMN GO) is now available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and to customers of television provider Bell Aliant, which serves subscribers in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and parts of Northern Ontario.
Released to coincide with the recent premiere of Season 4 of HBO Canada’s Game Of Thrones, TMN GO is available to subscribers at no additional cost for Xbox Live Gold members and Bell Aliant subscribers to The Movie Network. TMN GO offers instant and unlimited access to more than 1,000 hours of Hollywood…
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TORONTO – Rogers Wireless launched new consumer and small businesses international travel packages this week which will include a $9.99 per day data-only option.
"Our customers have told us they want simpler solutions when travelling, no matter where their travels may take them," said Raj Doshi, senior vice president, products, Rogers Communications, in a press release. "With these new travel packs and a daily data rate, customers should feel confident they can text, get online, and stay connected while knowing how much their services will cost."
International travel packs are easy to understand and come with more data, says the company.
A…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Bell Media have unveiled the four participants selected for the 2014 Bell Media Showrunner Bootcamp.
The participants are:
– Sherry White, a Canadian-based screenwriter and filmmaker who is currently writing and producing for CTV’s hit series Saving Hope, and is the co-executive producer on the ABC/Global series Rookie Blue. Sherry has also written for Rookie Blue for five seasons. Previously, she has written for series such as MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives, 18 to Life, and Hatching, Matching & Dispatching. Sherry is currently developing series for both ABC Studios and Warner…
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TORONTO – Rogers’ new mobile wallet is ready at last.
The company said Friday that is launching the suretap wallet, a new application that lets customers use their smartphones to make payments at thousands of retailers across the country by simply holding it up to contactless payment terminals, just like they do today with plastic credit and debit cards.
Available on select NFC-enabled Android and BlackBerry 10 smartphones, suretap wallet safely stores eligible payment cards on customers' smartphones, including Rogers Prepaid MasterCard and gift cards from select national retailers and restaurants.
The app also allows customers to add funds to their prepaid…
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