Rogers Communications Company Profile











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Rogers Communications
Company Profile

by Faulkner Staff

Docid: 00016313

Publication Date: 2202

Report Type: VENDOR

Preview

Rogers Communications is a major player in the Canadian telecommunications
market. Its wireless division is the largest carrier in Canada and one of the
most advanced wireless providers in North America, while its cable division is a
leading broadband provider and one of the biggest competitors to
providers Bell Canada and TELUS. In 2021, the company announced its intention to
acquire Shaw Communications, the number four telecommunications company in the
country, for an estimated C$20 billion. The deal would make Rogers the second
largest telecom behind Bell Canada.

Report Contents:

Fast Facts

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Rogers Communications
Headquarters:
333 Bloor Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 1G9 Canada
Phone: (416) 935-7777
Fax: (416) 935-3597
Web: http://www.rogers.com
Type of Vendor: Cable, wireless, telecommunications, and media services
provider
Founded: 1960
Service Area: Canada
Number of Employees: 26,000


Related
Faulkner Reports

Telecommunications in Canada Market
Trends

Profile

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The
Canadian telecommunications industry is built on a series of regional companies,
most of which got their start as provincial or regional monopoly carriers.
Rogers Communications is the largest wireless carrier in Canada, meaning it
is also the largest competitor to most of the country’s wireline incumbents including
the massive Bell Canada.

The company provides mobile and landline telephone service, cable television,
and broadband Internet access to both consumers and businesses across the
country. Depending on the market it is operating in, Rogers promotes its mobile
services as Rogers Wireless, Fido, or Chatr Wireless. Regardless of the name
being used, the company’s 11 million wireless customers access one of the most
advanced mobile networks in North America. The company’s core mobile network
covers more than 96 percent of the country with GSM, GPRS, and EDGE technologies, and more
than 96 percent with LTE, which offers speeds in excess of 150Mbps, under ideal
conditions. Rogers continues to expand
its LTE footprint, and maintains an LTE presence in more than 122 markets across
Canada, and it became the first carrier to launch 5G services in the nation in
early 2020.

At the end of 2021, Rogers maintained a customer-base including 11
million mobile subscribers, 700,000 cable television subscribers, and 2.6
million high-speed Internet customers.

History & Milestone Events

In 1921, Edward "Ted" Rogers became the first Canadian
to transmit a radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean. Rogers
invented the radio amplifying tube, a device that allowed home radios to be battery operated. In 1925, he founded Rogers Majestic Corporation,
which manufactured his radio tubes.

  • 1920s – In the mid-1920s, Rogers established several radio broadcasting
    companies, including Canada’s First Rogers Batteryless (CFRB),
    which grew to command the country’s largest radio audience. The
    family lost control of CFRB when Rogers died in 1939.
  • 1960 – Ted Rogers, Jr. bought Toronto radio station CHFI for
    $63,000. By the mid-1960s, Rogers moved into the cable TV business
    and expanded beyond the home base of Toronto. In the 1970s, Rogers
    bought out Premier Cablevision and Canadian Cablevision and, in
    1981, he took over UA-Columbia Cablevision. The media conglomerate
    adopted the name Rogers Communication for the group holding
    company in 1986.
  • 1996 – The company launched Canadian Online Explorer (CANOE),
    developed Yahoo! Canada, and offered Quicken Financial Network with
    Intuit to expand the company’s Internet operations.
  • 1998 – Rogers sold its telecom unit to MetroNet for $745
    million; in 1999, Rogers Communications and Rogers Cantel closed
    a $1.4 billion deal with AT&T and British Telecommunications by selling off a 33 percent stake in Rogers
    Cantel. Rogers Cantel
    received $964 million from the sale of treasury shares and assumed the brand
    name Rogers AT&T Wireless.
  • 2000 – Rogers agreed to a swap
    of cable assets with Shaw Communications, including an exchange of Rogers cable
    operations in British Columbia for Shaw operations in South Ontario and New
    Brunswick. The deal effectively split the country between the two, with
    Roger Communications taking the east and Shaw Communications taking the
    west.
  • 2001 – AT&T Wireless bought out BT Group’s stake in Rogers Wireless
    and increased its ownership interest to one-third. 
  • 2002 – Rogers AT&T Wireless completed the rollout of its GSM/GPRS
    nationwide network. The network reached 93 percent of the population of
    Canada and offered always-on connections and such applications as Internet
    access, e-mail, and two-way messaging. Rogers AT&T Wireless reached a number of GSM/GPRS
    roaming agreements with international carriers, including AT&T Wireless,
    to allow its customers to stay connected while abroad.
  • 2004 – Rogers Communications raised
    $250 million CAD in capital. Rogers attempted to purchase shares in Rogers Wireless owned by the public but
    was unsuccessful. In May, Rogers and AT&T Wireless failed to reach an agreement on
    Rogers’ offer for AT&T Wireless’ share of Rogers Wireless, but Rogers
    began transitioning to the Rogers Wireless brand name.
    In October, Rogers completed the acquisition of shares
    owned by AT&T Wireless.
  • 2005 – In May, Rogers named Nadir Mohamed as
    president and COO of the communications division, including its wireless and cable
    operations, and a board member. Edward Rogers remained president of Rogers Cable, and Robert Bruce
    was named president of Rogers Wireless.
    In July, Rogers bought Call-Net
    Enterprises, renaming it Rogers Telecom. In October,

    Rogers Telecom acquired
    most of the Group Telecom assets in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from Bell
    Canada. In December, Rogers named William Linton its Vice President of Finance and CFO. Alan Horn, former
    CFO, became president and CEO of Rogers Telecommunications Limited, the holding company of the Rogers
    family’s private investments.
    Rogers joined with
    several companies to test and implement new technology. In September, Rogers Wireless and Bell Canada
    agreed to construct a pan-Canadian WiMax network. The carriers planned to
    combine their
    respective fixed wireless spectrum, along with access to their cellular towers and network backhaul facilities. The fixed wireless
    network will act as a wholesale provider of capacity to each joint venture
    partner. In October, Rogers began testing its 3G wireless service with
    Ericsson, while in November, Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless, and TELUS
    Mobility corporately launched a Wireless Payment Service.

  • 2006 – In February, Rogers said it
    would complete trials for its HSDPA 3G voice and data network
    by autumn. In June, Rogers Publishing introduced a shopping magazine, Chocolat, written in both
    French and English. At the end of the year, Rogers combined its
    Cable and Telecom subsidiaries into the single "Cable and Telecom"
    reporting unit.
  • 2007 – In June, Rogers Communications’ stock symbol
    on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) changed from RG to RCI. Rogers made the
    change to conform its ticker on the NYSE to its tickers on the
    Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and simplify its corporate branding. Rogers’
    trading symbols on the Toronto Stock Exchange, RCI.a and RCI.b, were not
    affected. In July, Rogers Communications completed the amalgamation of its
    Rogers Cable and Rogers Wireless subsidiaries. The combined entity became known as
    Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI); Rogers Cable and Rogers Wireless ceased to be separate corporate entities. The
    integration did not impact previously reported results.
  • 2009 – The
    company appointed Nadir Mohamed to the position of Chief Executive Officer.
    Mr. Mohamed had been with Rogers since 2000, serving in several executive
    level positions, including President and COO of Rogers Communications and
    President and CEO of Rogers Wireless. He replaced Ted Rogers who passed away in 2008.

  • 2010 – In May, the company failed in its efforts to block a
    long-simmering fee-for-carriage law that would add to the overhead costs of
    its cable television business. Also in May, Rogers rolled out its HSPA+
    wireless service in Regina, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon. In June, the company
    admits to a billing inaccuracy which caused erroneous charges to five percent
    of its customers. Also in June, the company launched a new unlimited talk and
    text service called Chatr. In August, Keith Pelley was appointed President of
    Rogers Media. In October, Rogers acquired Atria Networks in an effort to
    enhance its own business solutions products. In the same month, the carrier
    announced its launch of the first LTE trials in Canada.

  • 2011 – In January, Rogers closed its acquisition of Atria Wireless,
    following approval by the Canadian Competition Bureau. In February, the
    carrier announced a massive rollout of its 3G+/HSPA+ services in Manitoba. In
    April, Rogers announced the launch of LTE services for Toronto, Montreal,
    Vancouver and Ottawa in 2011, with the top 25 markets in Canada to follow in
    2012. In August, the company begins offering online streaming of all Toronto
    Blue Jays baseball games via its Rogers On Demand service.

  • 2012 – During the year, Rogers announces several waves of LTE
    expansion, adding the technology to its networks in Montreal, St. John’s,
    Halifax, and Calgary. In May, Rogers receives a "no plan to contest" ruling
    from the Canadian Competition Bureau for Rogers acquisition of an ownership
    position in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the company which owns
    the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, the
    Toronto FC, and the Toronto Marlies. In August, Rogers launches LTE service in
    Moncton, New Brunswick, making it the first wireless carrier in Canada to
    bring LTE to the maritime province.

  • 2013 – Rogers continues its LTE expansion, setting a goal of
    reaching 120 markets before the end of the fiscal year. Later in the year,
    Rogers also completes its acquisition of Score media, including several
    television stations and other assets. Most recently, Rogers has become the
    most vocal and vehement opponent of Canadian governmental policies that it
    believes will provide an unfair advantage to any US-based telecom that chooses
    to enter the Canadian market. In September, the company appointed former
    Vodafone exec Guy Laurence as its new CEO, replacing the retiring Nadir
    Mohamed.

  • 2014 – Early in the year, Rogers begins fulfilling a CA$5.2 billion
    deal with the National Hockey League to become the exclusive broadcast and
    media partner in Canada for the 2014-2015 season.

  • 2015 – Rogers revamped the logo it had been using for more than 15
    years, replacing it with a slimmer version of its trademark Moebius circle and
    a thinner, more simplistic font. The change resulted in a mixed reception,
    with some members of the public and press complaining that the font was too
    generic or simplistic.

  • 2016 – In Febuary, Rogers invested CA$23 million in Avalanche
    Technology, a company specializing in solid state storage devices.

  • 2017 – Rogers’ Chairman of the Board of Directors, Alan
    Horn, announced his plans to step down from the position, allowing Deputy
    Chair Edward Rogers to assume the role.

  • 2018 – Rogers undertakes a year-long initiative to improve its
    wireless services across numerous metro areas, including Ottawa, Maple
    Ridge, Vancouver, Burnaby, Saskatoon, and portions of Alberta, Nova Scotia,
    and Quebec.

  • 2019 – Throughout the year, Rogers ramps up its 5G
    services push, opening its first 5G campus at UBC and launching its first 5G
    retail experience at Yonge-Dundas.

  • 2020 – Rogers becomes the first carrier to launch 5G
    services in Canada with a small rollout of services in Vancouver, Toronto,
    Ottawa, and Montreal. It continues to add markets throughout the year, with
    130 communities being reached before the end of 2020
  • 2021 – Following a court decision confirming his
    authority to control the family-run business, chairman of the board Ed
    Rogers removed Joe Natale as president and CEO, replacing him with former
    finance director Tony Staffieri.

Strategy

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Rogers’
strategy stresses convergence, clustering, and bundling its products and
services. Like
any mobile company, Rogers Wireless seeks to continue to add new customers and
increase the average revenue per user (ARPU) from its existing customer base.
Its strategy to achieve these goals is built around exploiting its
aforementioned convergence and advanced
technology. Since the beginning of 2008, the company has introduced a continuous
stream of cutting edge handsets. At the time this report was published,
Rogers Wireless’s catalogue included the Apple newest iPhone 12 line; the latest
editions of the Apple iPad and iPad Pro lines; and a wide selection of Android phones
from Samsung, LG, and others.

In order to increase ARPU, Rogers Wireless, the
largest mobile carrier in Canada, wants to encourage customers to spend more
time using both voice and data services, a feat which Rogers tries to accomplish
by maintaining one of the most advanced wireless networks in North America. The
company was the first carrier in Canada to launch a 3G network, and in 2009, it
became the first wireless provider on the continent to offer a fourth-generation
HSPA+ network. At the time of its launch, this network raised consumer download
speeds up to 21Mbps – nearly three times faster than the 7.1Mbps available over
the 3G network. Rogers took the role of the innovator again in 2011, when it
launched the first LTE coverage in Canada, with speeds up to 150Mbps, more than six times its HSPA+ network.
In 2020, Rogers continued its trend of launching new network protocols first
with the launch of its initial 5G offering, which is expected to reach speeds of
up to 1Gbps, when it reaches full capacity.

Rogers further bolsters its ARPU by offering its wireless services under
three separate brand names – Rogers Wireless, Fido, and Chatr Wireless – with
each brand focusing on a distinct customer demographic. Rogers Wireless remains
the company’s flagship, bringing the most devices, largest coverage
area, and broadest selection of plans to the table. Meanwhile, its newest
offering, Chatr, is designed to provide unlimited calling and messaging for a
discounted price, at the cost of a narrower coverage area. Fido, a former
affiliate of T-Mobile International, offers similar plans to Rogers Wireless,
but also maintains several "CityFido" plans which let consumers pay a lower rate
to purchase wireless service within a limited metro area.

Rogers holds about 30 percent of the Canadian cable market, and it is trying to
mirror the success of its wireless unit by expanding the availability of its
cable telephony service, adding more content to its video-on-demand and online
streaming television service, and improving the speed of its broadband service.
At the end of 2020, Rogers provided high-speed Internet to 2.59 million accounts, and cable television
to 544,000 homes.

Currently, Rogers is still pursuing its "Rogers 3.0" strategy, under which
it strives to achieve a short, but important list of goals. These goals,
according to the company, are to:

  • Re-accelerate revenue growth in a sustainable way.
  • Continue the company’s track record of translating revenue into strong
    margins, robust free cash flow, and a solid return on assets, ultimately
    increasing returns to shareholders.

In order to accomplish these goals, the telecom company plans to increase its
efforts in several areas, including: 

  • Further improving the customer experience.
  • Maintaining leadership and momentum in Wireless.
  • Strengthening our Cable proposition.
  • Driving growth in the business market.

The first of these endeavors, improving the customer experience, has
apparently already gotten underway, with Rogers claiming a 95 percent customer
complaint resolution rate, the "best of any major Canadian carrier."

Strengths

The different services that make up the overall Canadian telecommunications
market continue to converge. Customers can now use a single connection to watch
television, surf the Internet, and make telephone calls, while other family
members check email and watch YouTube videos on their cell phones. Rogers
Communications is in an excellent position to continue to take advantage of
these market conditions, as it has very strong brand awareness in the mobile,
cable television, and broadband Internet sectors, as well as cutting edge
technologies such as its 5G rollout and focus on IPTV, and streaming video (especially sports programming).

Rogers Communications is also a financially stable company. Its continual share
repurchasing programs over the last decade number in the billions of CAD$,
and indicate a stable surplus of cash. Additionally, its revenue across all
segments continues to show positive movement in its most recent year-end
financials, while also showing net customer gains in its wireless and home
broadband businesses.

Rogers is also among the first companies in Canada to be able to offer its
customers international access to LTE services thanks to a deal with Swisscom.
This agreement, which the company would like to be only the first of many, means
that Rogers and Swisscom customers will be able to access the same LTE speeds
whether they are in Canada or Switzerland. The expansion of this offering would
go a long way towards attracting the Canadian business travelers that typically
find themselves reduced to 3G or slower speeds when trying to use their devices
abroad. In a similar vein, Rogers has continued to expand its "Roam Like Home"
offering, with more than 100 countries being added since launch. This feature
allows subscribers to use their voice, Internet and text messaging services
while abroad for reduced rates or free, depending on their location.

Lastly, Rogers has always managed to be the first to offer all new network
protocols, including its recent launch of 5G services. Although the company’s 5G
offerings remain in their infancy at the time of writing, the head start in
offering the latest, fastest wireless service in Canada is sure to help the
carrier’s goals for convergence and streaming services in the future.

Weaknesses

Rogers has done an outstanding job establishing itself as the top competitor in
several markets across the country, but it still faces a highly competitive
marketplace. Although the company has seen continued success in nearly all of
its other segments, its wireless division, particularly the postpaid services
side, has shown slowing customer growth for several years. Although this may
just be a result of Canada’s telecom market reaching its saturation point, the
company should still be concerned about whether its upward trending ARPU is
enough to sustain growth in the coming years while its customers’ influx
continues to dwindle.

On top of this, the company is suffering the same level of cable TV subscriber
losses seen across the industry in North America and elsewhere, dropping over
half of its accounts in the past year alone. This is largely due to the "cord
cutting" trend, which sees former paid TV subs opting out to receive their
entertainment exclusively from online streaming services. While Rogers does have
a strong foothold in the streaming video market, and has made agreements with
big-name streaming video providers, the loss of these customers undoubtedly
strains the company’s customer retention goals.

Lastly, although Rogers was the first carrier in Canada to launch LTE, it
has, by most accounts, been surpassed by Bell Canada in the speed and
proliferation of that network protocol. While the actual percentage of the population of
the two companies may be neck and neck, Bell Canada maintains many more pockets
of coverage around the country, likely giving it an easier path to future
expansion into a superior geographic area. In any case, this will remain a
highly important factor for several years to come, until 5G becomes the dominant
network protocol.

Outlook

If Rogers can at least maintain its position among Canadian wireless carriers,
while continuing the successful growth seen by its wireless business finances in
recent years, the company’s future looks bright. While bundled plans and
competitive pricing obviously remain important, the carrier must also continue
to innovate on its technology to remain competitive. The modern consumer is more
technologically savvy than ever, and will not remain with a wireless carrier,
cable company, or ISP that does not offer the latest in streaming video, the
fastest download speeds, or the best on-demand lineup. Rogers has done an
admirable job of keeping up with the latest developments in the telecoms market,
but even a slight delay in innovations can cost a company in the long-run. 

Product Lines

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Rogers core product lines, and competitors, are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. Rogers Communications Services
Product Description Competitors

Wireless

Rogers Wireless provides wireless voice, data,
Internet, and media services over a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/LTE/5G network, which includes a High Speed Data Packet Access (HSDPA)
overlay. Aside from voice, data, and messaging, Rogers offers access to wireless
music, video, and mobile TV services. It also offers MyMail push
services, business plans, games, pre-paid services, international roaming, and
picture and video messaging.

Bell Aliant
TELUS
Virgin Mobile Canada

Home Phone

Rogers Home Phone offers traditional home telephone services, including local,
North American, and International long distance. Its calling services include
basic and advanced calling features for home and long distance plans.

Bell Aliant
BCE
MTS Allstream
TELUS

Cable

TV

Rogers Cable’s
Personal TV service includes basic and digital cable and a selection of
movies, Specialty Theme Packs, sports, and channel packages. The service
also offers high-definition programming, video on-demand, and live
streaming of Toronto Blue Jays baseball and Toronto Raptors basketball.
CanWest
Cogeco Cable
CTVglobemedia
Shaw Communications

Hi-Speed Internet

Rogers offers high-speed Internet access over its cable systems.

  • Rogers Ignite Gigabit includes 1Gbps download speeds and 30Mbps upload
    speeds.

  • Rogers Ignite 500u includes 500Mbps download speeds and 20Mbps
    upload speeds.

  • Rogers Ignite 150u includes 150Mbps download speeds and 15Mbps
    upload speeds.

  • Rogers Ignite 75u includes 75Mbps download speeds
    and 10Mbps upload speeds.
  • Rogers Internet 10 includes 10Mbps download speeds and 1Mbps upload
    speeds

All plans, excluding Rogers Internet 5, include a modem rental.

Bell Aliant
BCE
Cogeco Cable
MTS Allstream
Shaw Communications
TELUS

Bundles

Customers can choose from a variety of bundles, each of which offers a 15
percent discount on packages. Bundles include various combinations of wireless,
Internet, Personal TV, and home phone service.

Bell Aliant
BCE
Cogeco Cable
MTS Allstream
Shaw Communications
TELUS

Business

Rogers offers such business services as wireless voice and data, high-speed
Internet, Internet Fax, telephone, and data networking. Wireless products
include BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds and a number of available plans: Corporate
Best, Corporate 200, Digital One Rate, and Canadian One Rate. High speed
Internet services include Internet access, Internet applications, Web hosting,
and domain name registration. Networking services include IP networks; Ethernet
LAN, WAN, MAN, and FTTP services; traditional data services such as ATM, frame
relay, and private line; and managed network security.

Bell Aliant
BCE
Cogeco Cable
MTS Allstream
Shaw Communications
TELUS

Industry

Rogers offers targeted services to industries such as business; finance and
insurance; transportation; manufacturing; consumer goods; government; oil and
gas; and service and support.

Bell Aliant
BCE
Cogeco Cable
MTS Allstream
Shaw Communications
TELUS

Newfoundland Service

Road Runner High Speed Online is available over Newfoundland’s cable fiber
optic network. It provides high-speed access, five e-mail addresses, an instant
connection, and FTP and Web serving.

BCE
Cogeco Cable
Shaw Communications

Network Description

Rogers
Wireless is the largest Canadian wireless communications service provider,
serving over 11 million retail voice and data subscribers at the end of 2021 or about
35 percent of Canadian wireless subscribers. Rogers Wireless is
the only major provider in Canada operating on the world standard GSM/GPRS/EDGE/LTE/5G
platform, covering about 95 percent of Canada’s population, with its LTE
network reaching about 92 percent of the population and its 5G offerings
covering a miniscule fraction of that figure in a few urban centers. Subscribers can
access service in the US
through roaming agreements with various operators. They can also access voice
service internationally in 200 countries and wireless data service
internationally in over 100 countries across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and
Africa through roaming agreements with other GSM wireless providers.

Rogers
Wireless’ networks are based on owned and leased fiber-optic and microwave
transmission infrastructures. The company completed a GSM/GPRS overlay in the
1900-MHz frequency in 2002, and it followed with GSM/GPRS in the 850-MHz band in
2003 and EDGE technology in 2004. During 2005, Wireless completed its
integration of the Rogers Wireless and Fido GSM/GPRS networks. It also tested
UMTS/HSPA (Universal Mobile Telephone System/High-Speed Packet Access) 3G
wireless technology, the next generation standard for GSM, in the downtown core
of Toronto. In February 2006, the company started building a national UMTS/HSPA broadband
wireless data network that would support video conferencing, mobile television,
and simultaneous voice and data usage. In 2009, Rogers began building out a network running on HSPA+, which can deliver speeds up to
three times faster than its 3G network at 21 Mbps. In 2011 the company
introduced its most recent upgrade, adding LTE coverage with speeds of up to
100Mbps to 7 metro areas across the country. This has since been expanded to
many new markets, and has reached more than 120 new markets and speeds of up to
150Mbps.

Rogers
Cable networks in New Brunswick and Ontario are interconnected to regional
headends, and traffic is routed over inter-city fiber rings, allowing separate
networks to act as a single cable system. Subscribers in
Newfoundland

and
Labrador

are supported by local headends. Rogers
operates primary hubs in each service region, which are connected to the
inter-city rings and support two paths for traffic. These hubs serve 90 percent
of

Rogers
‘ customers. Fiber also connects hubs to optical nodes, which utilize co-axial
cable and amplifiers for the distribution of cable services, especially VOD and
Internet. The company utilizes the 750/860 MHz frequencies and a
fiber-to-the-feeder (FTTF) architecture to provide bandwidth for TV, Internet,
and other services, with fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) architecture being used in
newer construction. The company operates a broadband IP layer for digital
voice-over-cable telephony services at Packet Cable and Data Over Cable Service
Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standards.

Rogers
Telecom co-locates its equipment in the switch centers of the ILECs in over 175
locations in and around
Vancouver
, Calgary,
Toronto
,
Ottawa
, and Montreal. Many co-locations are connected to Telecom’s local switches by metro area
fiber networks (MANs). Telecom also operates a North American transcontinental
fiber optic network extending over 10,000 route miles. In
Canada
, the network extends from
Vancouver

to Quebec City. In the US, it extends from
Vancouver

south to
Seattle
; from the Manitoba-Minnesota border south-eastward through
Minneapolis
,
Milwaukee

and
Chicago
; and from Toronto

through
Buffalo
,
Montreal
, and Albany

to New York City. Telecom connected its North American network with Europe through international
gateway switches in
New York City
, London, and a leased trans-Atlantic fiber facility. Telecom installed switching
technology, fiber optic cable, and electronic equipment offering DWDM and SONET
protection. It also acquired CLEC assets of GT/360 from
Bell


Canada
, purchasing the majority of such assets in
Ontario
, Quebec, and
Newfoundland
, in addition to those acquired in
New Brunswick

and
Nova Scotia. The assets include local and long-haul fiber, transmission electronics and
systems, GT’s hubs, POPs, ILEC co-locations, and switching infrastructure. In

Canada
, Telecom installed more fiber optic capacity than it needs for its own use,
allowing it to sell capacity to others or to increase the size of its network by
swapping excess fiber. Telecom serves customers it cannot reach directly through
a scalable switching and intelligent services infrastructure that uses
connections between its co-located equipment and customer premises provided
largely by other carriers.

Competitors

Activity

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Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures

Rogers Communications says it has agreed to buy Shaw Communications Inc. for about C$20 billion ($16.02 billion)
in a deal that would make it Canada’s second-largest cellular and cable operator. Rogers, whose business is concentrated in the urban centers of Ontario,
is expected to gain from Shaw’s strong presence in the sparsely populated regions of Western Canada as it continues to roll its 5G network throughout the
country. The deal will be reviewed by the independent Competition Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, as
well as by the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development. It may face tough scrutiny. According to Reuters, in March 2020, the government
ordered Canada’s top three top telecom operators, which together control 89.2 percent of the market, to cut prices on their mid-range wireless service plans
by 25 percent within two years or face regulatory action. Adding Shaw, the country’s fourth largest telecom, to the number two Rogers will give regulator cause
for a close inspection of the deal.

(03/15/2021)

Products and Services

Rogers Communications announced it has achieved the first 5G standalone device certification in Canada
and completed the rollout of Canada’s first national standalone 5G core. The firm characterized these advances as “major technological milestones on
the road to powering the possibilities of 5G across the country.” The Google Pixel 6 and the Google Pixel 6 Pro will be the first 5G standalone smartphone
devices certified for use in Canada. Over the next few months, eligible customers will automatically connect to the 5G standalone network where it has been
rolled out. Rogers has completed its 5G standalone core network deployment nationally and is deploying its 5G standalone service coverage in major markets,
including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal.
(10/25/2021)

Rogers Communications is investing $3.3 billion in 3500 MHz band spectrum, covering 99.4 percent of the Canadian
population to enhance their 5G network. This investment positions the company as the largest single investor in 5G spectrum in the country across rural,
suburban, and urban markets. The acquisition includes 20-year licenses of 3500 MHz spectrum holdings in 169 out of 172 ISED Tier 4 regions across Canada,
including all key regions, the majority of rural areas, and all urban centers including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Ottawa. The spectrum
purchase will be funded through the company’s existing cash balances and bank credit facilities.
(07/29/2021)

The City of Calgary will partner with Rogers Communications on its Wireless Infrastructure Development Program
to provide residents, visitors, and businesses with 5G wireless infrastructure to support innovation, jobs, and the economy. Once approved, the
transaction is expected to create 1,800 net new jobs in Alberta in addition to a newly created Centre of Technology and Engineering Excellence located in Calgary.

(06/24/2021)

Personnel and Organizational

Rogers Communications announced that Glenn Brandt has been appointed Chief Financial Officer.
Brandt brings 35 years of financial management experience to the role, including 30 years within Rogers across the treasury, investor relations, and corporate
development departments. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance.

(01/31/2022)

Tony Staffieri has been appointed President and CEO of Rogers Communications effective immediately. The appointment follows
a search by the Rogers Board of Directors that commenced on November 16, 2021, when Staffieri was appointed interim CEO. Staffieri has also been appointed to the
Board of Directors.

(01/10/2022)

Robert Dépatie has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of Rogers Communications‘ Home & Business Division.
The newly created division includes Connected Home, offering high-speed Internet, television, and smart home monitoring services; Rogers for Business, covering large
corporate, public sector, and small-to-medium enterprise segments; and Customer Experience, serving all wireless and wireline customers. Dépatie was previously
President and CEO of Quebecor Inc. and Quebecor Media and was also President and CEO of Vidéotron ltée for 10 years.
(12/02/2021)

Follow a boardroom battle, Rogers Communications has replaced President and CEO Joe Natale with former finance chief Tony Staffieri. The appointment of Staffieri,
who was dismissed from his position with the company by Natale in September, is on an interim basis as the company searches for a permanent CEO. According to the Wall
Street Journal, Natale’s release comes at the hands of Ed Rogers, the telecommunications company’s chairman, who recently prevailed in a court fight for control of
the family-run business. In addition, five independent directors on the board were replaced by directors backed by Rogers, who retained his role as the company’s
chairman.
(11/16/2021)

Financials

In a turnaround from its 2020 fourth quarter results, Rogers Communications reports that total revenue and total service revenue
increased by six percent and seven percent, respectively, this quarter, driven by revenue growth in the wireless and media businesses. Wireless service revenue increased
by six percent mainly as a result of larger postpaid subscriber base and higher roaming revenue as COVID-19-related global travel restrictions were generally less strict
than last year. Wireless equipment revenue increased by four percent, as a result of higher device upgrades by existing subscribers, and higher gross additions. Cable
revenue was stable this quarter as a result of the movement of Internet customers to higher speed and usage tiers in Ignite Internet offerings and the increases in Internet
and Ignite TV subscriber bases, the company said. Media revenue increased by 26 percent during the quarter.

(01/27/2022)

The third quarter FY2021 total revenue for Rogers Communications was reported stable in its latest financial disclosure as a result of service revenue growth in the wireless
and cable businesses, but was offset by lower media revenue and lower wireless equipment revenue. Wireless service revenue increased by three percent, mainly as a result of a
larger postpaid subscriber base and higher roaming revenue. Wireless equipment revenue decreased as a result of fewer device upgrades by existing subscribers and
fewer devices purchased by new subscribers. Cable revenue increased by three percent this quarter as a result of Internet customers moving to higher speed and
usage tiers in the Ignite Internet offerings as well as increases in Internet and Ignite TV subscriber bases, and service pricing changes in late 2020. Media revenue
was down by three percent.
(10/21/2021)

Reporting its second quarter results for 2021, Rogers Communications noted a revenue increase of 14 percent, with growth achieved in each of the firm’s businesses.
Wireless service revenue increased by two percent during the quarter, mainly as a result of a larger postpaid subscriber base and higher roaming revenue as global travel
became less strict than at the onset of COVID-19. The increase, however, was partially offset by lower overage revenue a result of the continued adoption of Rogers’
Infinite unlimited data plans. Wireless equipment revenue increased as a result of higher device upgrades by existing subscribers and more purchases. Cable revenue
increased by five percent, attributed to promotional activity, service pricing changes in late 2020, and increases in Internet and Ignite TV subscriber bases. Media
revenue increased by 84 percent thanks to higher advertising and Toronto Blue Jays revenue due to the resumption of live sports as COVID-19 restrictions were eased.

(07/21/2021)

Showing signs of improvement, Rogers Communications reported that total revenue increased by two percent
in the first quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, largely driven by a five percent increase in cable service revenue. Wireless service revenue decreased
by six percent, as travel restrictions continued to have an effect on roaming revenue and data overage revenue was impacted by adoption of
unlimited data plans. Wireless equipment revenue increased as a result of higher gross additions and device upgrades by existing subscribers and
a shift in product mix towards higher value devices. Media revenue also increased – by seven percent – as a result of higher sports revenue, although
this was partially offset by softness in the radio advertising market.
(04/21/2021)

Rogers Communications‘ fourth quarter total revenue for 2020 decreased by
seven percent year-over-year, largely driven by an eight percent decrease
in wireless service revenue. The wireless decrease was mainly a result of lower roaming revenue due to global travel restrictions
during COVID-19, and lower overage charges as a result of the continued adoption of the
company's Infinite unlimited data plans. Wireless equipment
revenue decreased as a result of a lower gross additions and fewer device upgrades by existing subscribers during COVID-19. Cable revenue,
however, increased by three percent during the quarter as a result of the movement of Internet customers from legacy Internet to the new Ignite
Internet offerings and service pricing changes. Media revenue decreased by 23 percent for the quarter as a result of the postponement of the
start of the 2020-2021 NHL and NBA seasons, which traditionally start early in the fourth quarter; softness in the advertising market due to
COVID-19 was also given as a factor.

(01/28/2021)

 

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