TORONTO – Rogers Communications falling share of new post-paid customers, thanks in part to new competition from a shared network Bell and Telus launched in November, 2009, has led Canaccord Genuity to recommend that wireless investors switch from Rogers to Telus.
Rogers gained only 49,000 of such customers (a much more lucrative lot compared to less valuable “pre-paid” top-up card customers) in the quarter compared to 109,000 the year before. In comparison, Bell gained about 157,000 of those customers and Telus scooped up 109,000 last quarter, noted Canaccord Genuity analysts Dvai Ghose and Sanford Lee.
As a result, Rogers accounted for…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – BMO Capital Markets has downgraded its investment rating on Shaw Communications from outperform to market perform, based on the growing competitive threat from Telus, which could eventually capture one third of the B.C.-Alberta TV subscription market, says the bank.
“We are growing increasingly concerned with Shaw’s ability to withstand competitive pressures from Telus, specifically its Optik TV service,” writes Tim Casey, cable and media analyst at BMO Capital Markets, in his note to clients.
He cautions that Telus has the financial scale and strategic incentive to remain aggressive with marketing promotions this year and next, particularly since Shaw is…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Fourth quarter revenue at Telus rose 4% to $2.55 billion, the company reported today, driven by a 9% growth in wireless revenue and 7% in wireline data revenues.
Wireless average revenue per unit (ARPU) increased 1.9% this quarter, the first year-over-year increase in 14 quarters. Smartphones represented 46% of post-paid gross additions in the fourth quarter, as compared to 25% in same period last year. Higher revenue smartphone subscribers now represent 33% of total post-paid subscribers compared to 20% a year ago. However, the cost of acquisition per gross addition increased year-over-year by 2.1% to $388, reflecting a…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Telus customers could have faster mobile Internet access speeds come March as the telco rolls out a new Dual Cell upgrade to HSPA+ (DC-HSPA+) in select markets.
This new network capability supports manufacturer’s rated peak download speeds of up to 42 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 11 Mbps, Telus said Tuesday. It will initially offer Dual Cell in the greater Vancouver area, Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Whistler, Camrose, Winnipeg and the greater Toronto area.
“Dual Cell is just the latest example of our commitment to offer our clients the latest and greatest available technology,” said Eros Spadotto,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Telus has joined Rogers in unlocking its customers’ cell phones. In an announcement on Monday, the telco said that it would introduce the policy on February 15.
"Wireless devices are far more sophisticated and powerful than they were even five years ago and our customers are asking us now to give them the freedom and flexibility to use these devices as they wish”, said chief marketing officer, David Fuller, in a statement. “We are listening and responding to their needs, through services like device unlocking. It’s all part of our commitment to continue to drive flexibility, simplicity and…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – While producers and others argued how and where the $220-million BCE/CTV benefits package should be spent, the two largest carriers without broadcast or specialty TV divisions warned the CRTC that something must be done to rein in the power a combined BCE/CTV will have.
While the Commission has long prohibited content exclusives on the TV side (CTV has to make Comedy Network available to all carriers and can’t sign an exclusive with any one or two), our exploding media world has all experimenting, looking for new business models and lines of revenue on new, unregulated, platforms.
Part of that…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL and VANCOUVER – The resurgence in the Canadian economy has boded well for the telco industry in Canada.
Videotron said that it created 827 new jobs in 2010, driven by its entry into the mobile market, which was 230 jobs more than the hiring targets it announced in January 2010. This boosted its workforce to more than 6,000, the company said, and it still has a number of openings available in engineering, network operations and management, installation, sales, marketing, IT and customer service.
“Videotron operates in a leading-edge industry and our people work in a heady swirl of technology, entertainment…
Continue Reading
MARKHAM, ON – Bell and Telus are partnering with Chinese networking and telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei on two joint innovation centres that will focus on advancements in wireless.
The location of the centres or the number of jobs that could be created were not made available as part of Monday’s announcement. Huawei opened a Canadian research and development centre just outside of Ottawa last April.
“Huawei played a key role in the introduction of Bell’s world-leading HSPA+ network, and we’re confident this Joint Innovation Centre will create further breakthrough products and services that keep both companies at the forefront of mobile…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telus is offering free taxi rides and phone calls this week to last minute shoppers or holiday party-goers in major cities across the country.
From December 18 to December 25, Telus-branded taxis will cruise the downtown cores of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Toronto between 11 am and 11 pm providing free rides. En route, passengers will also be offered a free holiday call anywhere in North America.
"The last week before the Holidays is hectic, holiday shoppers have their hands full between social commitments and picking out that perfect gift for their loved ones. We want to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Not only is the NDP taking the credit for Rogers’ decision to begin unlocking its customer’s mobile phones, it’s now calling on Bell and Telus to keep up with both its competitor “and the rest of the world”.
NDP MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North) called Rogers’ decision a “major reversal of policy” and credited the move to public pressure created from his private member’s bill known as the Cellphone Freedom Act introduced in June. The bill calls for telecom companies to ‘unlock’ fully purchased phones free of charge at a customer’s request, and unlock subsidized phones…
Continue Reading
