Crave subs top five million
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell executives said Thursday that the company will focus on trade-in and other “device residual programs,” rather than device discounting, to address affordability for consumers.
Bell reported wireless product revenue that was $555 million, down 6.6 per cent in the quarter against the equivalent period that ended June 30 last year. The company noted in its second-quarter earnings report that this was a result of lower wireless device sales to consumers “mainly from lower contracted activations due to a greater mix of bring-your-own-device activations and fewer upgrades, partly offset by reduced discounting and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Under new management, Telus is resetting its dividend and pausing acquisitions to get its debt level in check.
Starting October 1, the corporation will issue a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 cents per share, which is 75 cents on an annualized basis – a reduction of 55 per cent from the existing distribution. It is also eliminating the discount on dividend reinvestments.
“It served a clear purpose during the peak of our network build, preserving cash when capital intensity was at its highest,” Telus CEO Victor Dodig said Friday about the dividend reinvestment plan in his first earnings call as…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has not provided reasons for why it believes Rogers, Bell and Telus are violating the regulator’s new rules on activation fees, even after the companies provided justifications for charges related to device handling and SIM cards, according to submissions by the Big Three.
As such, Rogers and Bell are backing a procedural request by Telus this month to bifurcate the CRTC’s inquiry: first, establish a proceeding to consider whether a violation has been committed by any of the companies, and, if required, establish a proceeding to consider if any enforcement remedies are necessary in the event…
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Telus announced last week the opening of a new Telus Living 195-home rental community in downtown Nanaimo, B.C. — part of the Vancouver-based telecom’s initiative to repurpose legacy telephone infrastructure into rental housing as it completes its network transition from copper to fibre technology.
Located at 235 Wallace St., the Nanaimo development joins another completed Telus Living building in Sechelt and one under construction in Vancouver-Point Grey.
“The Nanaimo development represents exactly what TELUS Living stands for by providing purpose-built rental housing tailored to the specific needs of…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Wholesale-based internet service providers are asking the CRTC to revisit rates it set for access to the last-mile fibre networks of the largest telcos, claiming they’re too high to compete against those same telcos that are simultaneously undercutting them in the market.
In April, the regulator finalized the rates for access to the fibre networks of Bell, Telus and SaskTel (cable companies are exempt from this regime). The final rates for that access are similar to the interim rates the CRTC established in November 2023, which drew statements from wholesale-based competitors that warned this could…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Rogers said Wednesday that priority lanes of traffic on its 5G wireless network, via network slicing, “continues to be an opportunity and in play” to drive higher value on its premium plans.
In April, Rogers launched the 5G+ Ultimate plan, which includes unlimited high-speed data, up to 2 Gbps speeds, roaming in up to 64 global destinations, unlimited calling to 27 countries, free access to Rogers Satellite for 24 months, and priority network access that gives subscribers front-of-the-line access to the fastest speeds available, even during peak times.
“If you look to each…
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Telus announced Wednesday changes to its executive leadership as part of the company’s move to consolidate its telecom businesses to drive sustainable growth.
“This reorganization is designed to drive enhanced customer service, align capital and resources to the highest margin products, services and customer segments, and realize operational efficiencies across the organization,” Telus said in a press release.
Effective Sept. 1, former Telus senior executive David Fuller will rejoin the Vancouver-based telecom as executive vice president and group president, overseeing all of the company’s core telecom business units, including Consumer Solutions and Business Solutions. Fuller previously served as…
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Calling it a “major milestone,” Bell announced Wednesday the completion of construction of its first sovereign direct-to-device satellite ground station, located in Quebec.
Testing has begun at the facility, which connects with AST SpaceMobile’s growing constellation of satellites, Bell said in a press release.
“Once operational, the site will form part of the Canadian infrastructure supporting direct-to-device satellite service, enabling the integration of AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network with Bell’s terrestrial network,” reads Bell’s press release.
Building on Bell and AST SpaceMobile’s successful demonstrations announced last October, Bell recently completed integration testing, including…
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The CRTC is asking the major telecoms to provide updates on their subscriber numbers, both in and out of their operating territories, as well any network upgrades they have made — part of the regulator’s monitoring of market conditions following the final wholesale internet access framework from August 2024.
In a July 10 letter sent to incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) Bell, Telus and SaskTel and cable carriers Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco and Eastlink, the CRTC asks for by-province summaries of the carriers’ total retail residential wireline internet subscribers — including standalone, those bundling a…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Telus said in an application to the CRTC that it intends to temporarily lock all of its devices for a 60-day period beginning July 30 to stop what it claims is increasing incidents of theft.
“Given the magnitude of the ongoing public safety crisis and the unrecoverable financial harm being sustained daily, TELUS advises the Commission that it intends to implement a temporary 60-day device lock on all new device activations on July 30, 2026,” the Vancouver-based telecom said in a Part 1 application, made public Wednesday.
The temporary move is intended to last as long as the CRTC…
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