TAGGED AS JEFF FAN
Rogers revenues, profit fall due to roaming and overage drops
Media | 01/28/2021 3:08 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. announced a seven-per-cent fall in revenues and a four-per-cent decline in profits during its fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday, with the company largely attributing that to an eight per cent fall in wireless revenues.
Overall revenues...
Bell bringing cabinet’s wholesale appeal response to Federal Court
telecom | 08/17/2020 7:56 pm EDT
Lawyers representing BCE Inc. have asked a Federal Court of Appeal judge to allow them to make fresh submissions in the already-heard appeal of the CRTC's wholesale rates,...
Telus silent on Scotiabank claim it hasn’t ruled out Huawei as 5G vendor
telecom | 06/03/2020 5:53 pm EDT
A day after announcing it would partner with Nokia Corp. and Ericsson AB on...
Financial analysts say telecoms ‘resilient’ to impact of COVID-19
telecom | 03/18/2020 5:24 pm EDT
Canada’s telecommunications sector is a “constructive place to hide” for financial investors as markets continue to feel the impact of COVID-19, RBC Capital Markets analyst Drew McReynolds...
Freedom plans could drive big three back to subsidies: analysts
telecom | 07/26/2019 5:33 pm EDT
The launch of new plans from Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom will...
Telus to keep no-overage plans — and subsidies
telecom | 07/03/2019 6:57 pm EDT
Telus Corp. is making its once promotional “no overage” wireless data plan options a permanent...
‘Unlimited’ plans could negatively impact industry: analyst
telecom | 06/27/2019 11:33 am EDT
Rogers Communications Inc.’s decision to introduce "no overage" plans will likely negatively impact all wireless carriers, Scotiabank’s Jeff Fan said in a new report. “In this dynamically competitive market, we believe one major move has the potential to cause strong ripple effects across the industry,” he said in the June 24 report. The plans, introduced earlier this month, don't charge users for going over their monthly data allotments, as is usually the case in Canada. Instead, their speeds are slowed down or "throttled." It's a model similar to that used by American...
Quebecor CFO Pruneau to head Videotron
telecom | 01/07/2019 5:35 pm EST
Jean-François Pruneau, Quebecor Inc.’s chief financial officer, has been appointed the new CEO of its...
Huawei 5G decision won’t be made based on politics: Trudeau
telecom | 12/19/2018 5:14 pm EST
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will rely on expert...
Bains says spectrum auction dates to give industry predictability
telecom | 06/06/2018 6:51 pm EDT
TORONTO — Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains announced Wednesday the...
How big a threat are OTT sports services?
Media | 10/10/2017 5:55 pm EDT
Sports remains one of the last bastions of defence for traditional TV against a wave of over-the-top...
Recent LTE advances could affect demand for 5G: experts
telecom | 09/08/2017 5:16 pm EDT
Even with an accelerated arrival date for the next generation of wireless...
AT&T, Time Warner deal shows VI trending in opposite directions: analyst
Media | 10/24/2016 9:18 pm EDT
A potential merger between AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Cable Inc. highlights a move by United States-based companies toward vertical integration, just as developments in Canada...
Wholesale rate decision could lead to focus on flanker brands, analysts say
telecom | 10/07/2016 8:17 pm EDT
In the days after the CRTC issued a decision that lowered wholesale wireline Internet rates proposed by large Internet Service Providers (ISPs), financial analysts said the large telecoms could...
‘Aggressive’ handset subsidies helped boost wireless subscriptions: analysts
telecom | 08/12/2016 6:11 pm EDT
The significant number of new postpaid wireless customers reported by service providers in the second quarter of 2016 can partly be explained by the aggressive push toward handset subsidies as new phones enter the market and drive demand, according to analysts. Wireless providers reported...
Wind faces short-term turbulence, long-term opportunity: Canaccord
telecom | 07/05/2016 9:07 pm EDT
Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda Galappatthige said in a research note Tuesday that Shaw Communications Inc.’s Wind faces “volatility and uncertainty over the short run,” though it also has a “genuine and sizable long-term opportunity.” However, in notes issued ahead of telecoms’ quarterly reports, which will be released later this month, both Galappatthige and analyst Drew McReynolds of RBC Capital Markets said any impact on industry competition from Wind won’t be visible until next year. Galappatthige said “there is a high probability that Wind goes through a good degree of turbulence before it reaches...
Mobile prices on the rise
telecom | 01/19/2016 3:55 pm EST
All major mobile carriers in Canada are raising their prices, according to analysts. Drew McReynolds, an analyst with RBC Dominion Security, detailed in a research note last week how BCE Inc. had recently raised its prices on share plans for premium smartphones by $5 to $65 a month, its plans for...
Shaw-Wind deal means no Rogers merger on horizon: analysts
Media | 12/17/2015 11:00 pm EST
Financial analysts said Thursday that the surprising move by Shaw Communications Inc. to buy Wind Mobile means any potential merger between Shaw and Rogers Communications Inc. won’t happen any...
How do Shaw’s decisions on Canwest, mobile look today?
Media | 12/07/2015 8:30 pm EST
Yesterday's actions can have a profound influence on tomorrow. Such a notion might apply to a couple of decisions Shaw Communications Inc. has made in the last half-decade. The first of those was its 2010 move to spend $2 billion to purchase the broadcasting assets of Canwest Global Communications Corp., which included...
FTTH to cover 90% of Bell footprint in 10 years: Cope
Media | 11/12/2015 8:10 pm EST
BCE Inc. will cover about 90 per cent of its wireline footprint with fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in a little less or a little more than a decade, though the issue of whether smaller Internet service providers will get mandated access...
Market has adjusted to 2-year wireless contracts: analyst
Media | 11/10/2015 8:42 pm EST
Third-quarter results indicate the mobile market has adjusted to the higher-priced, two-year contracts that became the norm after the CRTC implemented the wireless code in 2013, says Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan. In a research note issued Monday evening, Fan said this assertion is based on data showing that, for the first time in three years, all the publicly traded wireless carriers in Canada combined reported higher net gains for postpaid customers than a year earlier. "We note that this was not driven by a shift from pre-paid because pre-paid net additions were also...
Liberal government positive for big telecoms: analyst
Media | 10/19/2015 7:58 pm EDT
A telecom-market analyst says incumbent telecommunications-service providers would benefit under a Liberal government. Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan said in a research note released the Friday before Monday's election:...
‘No demand’ for gigabit Internet: Audet
telecom | 09/17/2015 8:04 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. CEO Louis Audet says there is currently "no demand" for Internet services with speeds as quick as one gigabit per second, despite recent forays by BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc. into this area. "As I'm sure everyone realizes, there is essentially no demand for that," Audet told a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce...
Cablecos can deploy gigabit Internet cheaper than telcos: analyst
telecom | 09/01/2015 1:38 pm EDT
Cable companies have a steep cost advantage over telephone companies in the race to implement broadband Internet at gigabit speeds, says Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan. It comes down to...
Vertical integration helps Canadian TV sector transition: analyst
Media | 08/18/2015 7:28 pm EDT
The tendency of major players in Canada's television industry to be involved in both content and distribution is helping the sector deal better with issues such as cord cutting and a declining...
Darren Entwistle as Telus CEO is ‘less complicated’: analyst
telecom | 08/10/2015 6:18 pm EDT
After a little more than one year on the job, Telus Corp. announced Monday that Joe Natale has stepped down as president and CEO, and has been replaced by Darren Entwistle, who was Natale's predecessor in this job and has been the company's executive chairman ever since the previous changeover. In a press release,...
Is government easing off on spectrum-transfer policy?
telecom | 06/22/2015 8:59 pm EDT
Speculation that the federal government is poised to approve the acquisition of Mobilicity and its spectrum by Telus Corp. or Rogers Communications Inc. has some observers disagreeing whether this would represent a major departure...
Telus announces 8,000 free WiFi hotspots for West
telecom | 06/08/2015 8:30 pm EDT
Telus Corp. announced on Monday that it will provide free WiFi at more than 8,000 hotspots throughout British Columbia and Alberta. These are provinces where Telus competes with Shaw Communications Inc. in the provision of...
Quebecor adds spectrum, still non-committal on national expansion
telecom | 05/12/2015 2:43 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. is still publicly sitting on the fence when it comes to expanding its wireless service throughout Canada despite bidding $187 million on 2500 MHz spectrum, including for licences outside...
Wholesale decision positive for Bell, Rogers, Telus: analysts
telecom | 05/06/2015 5:45 pm EDT
Financial market analysts say Canada's incumbent wireless operators were generally left undamaged in this week's decision by the CRTC to regulate the rates they charge smaller domestic competitors for roaming access. Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan said in a research note issued Wednesday that the CRTC ruling was "favourable to the Big 3," in reference to BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. Fan noted that nothing changes immediately regarding the rates incumbents charge smaller carriers, and he expects it will take at least a year to establish the final...
Next spectrum auction seen as less substantial than previous sales
telecom | 04/13/2015 5:03 pm EDT
Canada's third wireless spectrum auction in a little more than a year is set to start Tuesday, and it is generally predicted to bring in far less money than the other two, though at least one...
Telecoms will adjust to pick-and-pay regime, analysts say
Media | 03/20/2015 9:10 pm EDT
Financial analysts reacting to the CRTC’s new pick-and-pay rules say they don’t expect the decision to have a major impact on the industry, though the broadcasting side of the business is...
AWS-3 results provide Wind with ‘secure, clear roadmap for LTE’: Lacavera
telecom | 03/06/2015 2:18 pm EST
Wind Mobile will work to roll out LTE connections on its network by the end of 2016, as long as the technology to take advantage of the AWS-3 spectrum it picked up in this week’s auction is ready, Wind chairman Anthony Lacavera said Friday. The results of the March 3 auction were...
Tablet’s social impact remains despite sales slowdown: expert
Media | 02/02/2015 9:04 pm EST
New data shows that tablet shipments declined year-over-year in last year's fourth quarter — for the first time in the category’s short market history — though a Canadian trends observer says the cultural impact of tablets isn't going away any time soon. International Data Corp. said in a press...
Some say Rogers vulnerable to ‘double cohort,’ others downplay issue
telecom | 01/28/2015 9:46 pm EST
In June, wireless carriers face a higher-than-usual number of expiring contracts, as a result of the wireless code effectively banning the previously standard three-year agreements. But experts disagree on how this “double cohort” will translate into consequences for the wireless industry, which is still waiting on a court ruling to decide whether it will happen at all. The CRTC announced its wireless code in June 2013, and it came into force on Dec. 2 that year. Among...
Mobilicity, Wind in stare-down as AWS-3 deadline looms
telecom | 01/27/2015 3:39 pm EST
Mobilicity's intent to access up to $65 million in debt to participate in the upcoming AWS-3 auction has important implications for Wind Mobile, which would otherwise face no competition for the...
‘Moving parts’ making spectrum auction predictions difficult: analyst
telecom | 01/23/2015 7:12 pm EST
Analysts are divided on how two upcoming spectrum auctions will change Canada’s wireless industry as the deadline for registration looms at the end of January. The upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz auctions are taking place against a backdrop of uncertainty as carriers await a decision from the CRTC on wholesale wireless...
Wind promotion seen as shot against Mobilicity
telecom | 01/15/2015 9:08 pm EST
Wind Mobile's offer of free wireless service to customers of Mobilicity, with unlimited data, text and calls for six months, could be an offensive move to help clear away competition for set-aside spectrum in the upcoming...
Glentel purchase could help Bell, Rogers avoid competition: analysts
telecom | 01/05/2015 9:53 pm EST
A deal announced Christmas Eve to split the ownership of wireless retailer Glentel Inc. between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. will help the incumbent carriers stave off competition from a...
Rogers-Shaw merger seen as making ‘complete sense’
Media | 10/09/2014 8:07 pm EDT
A merger between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. has been the subject of speculation for years. As the various industries these companies participate in — broadcasting, TV distribution, landline phone services, Internet and, in Rogers' case, mobile — change rapidly, at least one...
Wireless code effects include higher prices, slow customer growth: analysts
telecom | 08/12/2014 8:20 pm EDT
More than eight months after its implementation and more than a year after it was announced, effects of CRTC's wireless code include higher prices and slower growth in mobile-service subscribers,...
Lower-end telecom plans get biggest rate hikes: report
telecom | 07/14/2014 9:35 pm EDT
Telecommunications companies increased prices most, proportionally, over the last year for those subscribing to the lowest-end wireless, broadband-Internet and home-phone plans, according to a report...
Penetration-based pricing biggest barrier to pick-and-pay: analyst
telecom | 07/09/2014 1:51 pm EDT
The biggest challenge standing in the way of a pick-and-pay TV system is the current penetration-based rate card regime, Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan said in a research note....
Government ‘determined to get that fourth national carrier’
telecom | 07/07/2014 1:26 pm EDT
The federal government on Monday announced another auction for wireless spectrum will be held next year and, like previous auctions, it will have rules meant to increase the viability of companies competing against the three incumbents. "They are bound and determined to get that fourth national carrier," Gregory Taylor, principal investigator at Canadian Spectrum Policy Research, said in a phone interview. "This seems like a real effort by the government to make that a reality. Whether or not it will actually happen, we don't know yet." Industry Minister James Moore announced Monday that the AWS-3 auction will be held next year. While he did not specify a date, he...
Rogers getting reluctant on rollbacks: Barclays
telecom | 06/23/2014 8:19 pm EDT
After pronouncements from Rogers Communications Inc. about improving the customer experience and simplifying the options available to customers, analysts from Barclays said the company appears to be "shifting away from...
Distributors will pay for Rogers’ rich hockey deal: analyst
Media | 05/27/2014 7:46 pm EDT
Broadcast distributors across the country are likely to pay for a big chunk of the billions of dollars for which Rogers Communications Inc. is on the hook as a result of the deal it struck for 12...
Rising wireless prices mean lower subscription growth: analyst
telecom | 04/14/2014 2:01 pm EDT
Many Canadians are being turned off by the higher wireless prices rolled out by the incumbents over the past nine months, according to Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan. In a research note Monday, Fan said...
Broadband revenue gains to offset phone, TV declines: analyst
telecom | 01/27/2014 5:13 pm EST
Gains in revenue derived from broadband Internet services in the next decade will be more than enough for Canada’s telecom service providers to make up for a shrinking amount of money taken in...
Paradis delays auction, says no set aside spectrum transfers to incumbents
telecom | 06/04/2013 1:29 pm EDT
OTTAWA, TORONTO—Industry Canada will block Telus Corp.'s proposed deal for Dave Wireless Inc.’s mobile spectrum, as well as any other proposal from an incumbent to acquire wireless frequencies set aside for new entrants, and will delay the department’s 700 MHz spectrum auction until early next year, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said. In an early morning announcement Tuesday at Industry Canada’s offices, Paradis said the deadline to apply for the upcoming 700...
Wireless code could replace four-carrier policy: analyst
telecom | 06/03/2013 7:48 pm EDT
The federal government should let the CRTC’s wireless code of conduct regulate the mobile wireless sector and back away from its policy objective of ensuring four competing carriers in each region of the country, Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan said. In a research note Monday, Fan said the CRTC’s...