Welcome to MobileSyrup’s telecom roundup, a recap of all the important telecom news over the past week.
From quarterly reports to government announcements, this was a busy week in Canadian telecom.
Business news
Over the past week, we saw a barrage of quarterly reports from the leading telecom companies in Canada.
Telus reported it added 247,000 mobile and fixed customers in its second quarter of the year. 93,000 of the new customer came from mobile phone connections as the company saw its subscriber base increase by 4.2 percent year over year.
BCE reported growth in its wireless services as well, adding more than 110,000 mobile phone net subscribers. This figure increased 140 percent year over year. The company’s president and CEO also touched on the Rogers outage, saying Bell uses separate wireless and wireline networks, a move Rogers only recently announced.
Unlike its counterparts, Québecor’s revenue was in the negative. The company reported $1.12 billion in revenue in Q2 2022, down $16 million (1.4 percent) from Q2 2021. Revenue for its telecommunication services decreased 1.7 percent.
Infrastructure
Bell announced earlier this week that it would roll out 8Gbps symmetrical internet speeds in September. The update will first be available to select Toronto residents. Information on 8Gbps plans by other providers is available here.
More on Bell-related news, Northwestel has launched high-speed fibre internet in two fly-in communities in the Northwest Territories. Customers in Fort Good Hope and Tulita will see speeds up to 300Mbps.
Policy/Government
OpenMedia and Leadnow are calling on the government to end Canada’s telecom monopoly. The two non-profit advocacy agencies have obtained 28,000 signatures through a petition.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced it would allocate $20.5 million towards 10 wireless and internet projects through the Broadband Fund. The investment will support 35 communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, and Quebec.
The Government of Ontario announced it would work to bring high-speed internet to 266,000 homes and businesses. The Province has signed eight agreements with service providers, including Bell, Cogeco, Xplornet, and Rogers.
Deals
To end things off, here are some telecom deals you might want to check out.
Quebec residents, this one is for you. Koodo, Fido, and Virgin Plus are offering $45/15GB and $55/20GB plans. Check out the details here.
Koodo has brought back its ‘Data Days.’ Customers can add between 1 and 10GB of data addons for a reduced price. More details are available here.
That wraps up this week’s edition. Let us know what you think of this new column in the comments below and what you would like to see going forward.
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