Rogers cuts VP positions, middle management

Rogers Communications Inc. has cut "several hundred middle management positions" and reduced the number of people working at the level of vice-president and above by 15 per cent, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Rogers changes privacy policy due to customer ‘concern’

Rogers Communications Inc.’s decision to change its privacy policy to require law enforcement agencies to provide a warrant or court order to obtain subscriber information was made partly due to “concern” from customers, said Ken Engelhart, Rogers’ vice-president of regulatory affairs.

Wind looking to offer 3G roaming thanks to price cap

Now that the federal government’s domestic roaming caps are in place, Wind Mobile is looking to upgrade to 3G for its roaming network by the end of the summer, chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie said on Tuesday.

His company currently offers only 2G data connections outside its own network, Lockie said, because of the high prices it was forced to pay to send data over other carriers’ networks before the passage of the government’s budget bill, which included a usage-based cap on these wholesale roaming rates, on June 19.

Viewer’s Choice pay-per-view service shutting down

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are shutting down their jointly-owned pay-per-view service, Viewer’s Choice Canada.

Bell Media spokeswoman Amy Doary said in an email Monday that the service would cease operations by Sept. 30 of this year.

Rogers wireless home phone not subject to local-exchange rules: CRTC

The CRTC said Wednesday that it has denied a request from Wightman Telecom Ltd. for Rogers Communications Inc.'s wireless home-phone service to be classified as a competitive local exchange carrier.

The commission said in an online notice that it "has not established a rule that a service that is a close substitute for a wireline local exchange service should be offered by a service provider only as a CLEC."

Rogers getting reluctant on rollbacks: Barclays

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 pricing discounts."

Rogers CEO wants telecoms to stop wasting users’ time

TORONTO — Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence says the telecom industry has wasted Canadians’ time.

He said in a speech to the Canadian Telecom Summit Monday that complexity in pricing plans, whether it be eligibility criteria, handset offers or usage rules, has meant consumers are wasting the precious time their devices were supposed to save.

BlackBerry to support financial transactions for wireless incumbents

BlackBerry Ltd. said Thursday it has reached a three-year deal with a consortium comprised of Canada's three incumbent wireless providers to support financial transactions conducted through smartphones.

BlackBerry and EnStream LP, which is a joint venture run by BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc., did not disclose financial details of the agreement.

Telecom Act allows retroactive code application, says government

The Telecommunications Act gives the CRTC the authority to apply its wireless code in such a way that it nullifies existing customer contracts, the federal government said in a new court filing defending parts of the code against a challenge by wireless carriers.

Rogers climbs from bottom spot in Netflix speed index

Rogers Communications Inc. climbed out of the bottom ranking among 14 Canadian ISPs measured in latest speed index from Netflix Inc.

Rogers launches Sportsnet streaming service

Rogers Communications Inc. on Tuesday announced the launch of an online streaming service and mobile application for Sportsnet programing.

The company said in a press release the service is called Sportsnet Now, and for the time being is available as a "preview" to Rogers customers. Rogers spokesman Sebastian Gatica clarified in an email that this means those who subscribe to Sportsnet on Rogers cable.

Distributors will pay for Rogers’ rich hockey deal: analyst

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 years of exclusive national broadcast rights to National Hockey League games, says one analyst.

Wholesale roaming caps won’t solve problem: Wind

OTTAWA — Proposed federal legislation that caps wholesale wireless prices is a good start but “doesn’t solve the issue,” Wind Mobile co-founder and chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

Lockie said the domestic roaming agreement his upstart carrier signed with Rogers Communications Inc. in 2009 in order to provide Wind’s customers with service outside a few major cities was "absolutely terrible.”

Rogers announces new direction to combat customer flight

Rogers Communications Inc. on Friday released a “comprehensive” plan to overhaul its customer service and restructure its corporate hierarchy.

CBC to take Radio 2 off the air, advocacy group says

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada will stop over-the-air broadcasts of its Radio 2 service and make it an “exclusively on-line music offering,” advocacy group Friends Of Canadian Broadcasting said at a news conference on Thursday.

Capping wholesale roaming rates at retail level not enough: study

While the federal government’s current plan for limiting wholesale roaming rates charged within the wireless industry is a “step in the right direction,” a new study from the SeaBoard Group said the move does not go far enough.

Video-on-demand, pay-per-view revenues fall: CRTC

Television providers earned less from their video-on-demand services last year, according to CRTC data released Wednesday, despite investing in increasing the availability of content.

The CRTC said in the statistical and financial summaries for Canadian specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand (VOD) services that revenues for VOD services fell nearly 3.6 per cent in 2013, to $254.5 million. That decline is a change from the revenue increases reported for the previous four years; in 2012, revenues were up 2.5 per cent while they increased 25.3 per cent in 2011.

Alan Dark to head national sales at Rogers Media

Rogers Communications Inc. on Tuesday said Alan Dark will take over as vice-president of national sales at Rogers Media, starting May 26.

The company said he will be based in Toronto and set the strategic direction for national sales teams.

Rogers said Dark was most recently the general manager of CBC/Radio-Canada’s Revenue Group, and has also worked for Canwest MediaWorks, Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting and CTV.

Rogers’ Phil Lind to retire at year’s end

Rogers Communications Inc. said Phil Lind, the company’s executive vice-president of regulatory affairs, is retiring after this year.

In an email to The Wire Report, Rogers spokeswoman Jennifer Kett said Lind has been with the company 45 years. She said he has agreed to stay on in an advisory role and maintain his position on the board of directors.

Lind was among 16 individuals re-elected to seats on Rogers’ board of directors at its annual general meeting Tuesday, the company announced in a press release, as was CEO Guy Laurence.

Rogers gets going on 700 MHz deployment

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it has deployed its new 700 MHz spectrum in parts of Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Rogers said the launch of the spectrum means customers in these locations will have an easier time accessing the Internet and streaming video in spots that have typically had bad reception, such as elevators, basements and buildings with thick concrete walls.

Rising wireless prices mean lower subscription growth: analyst

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 he was downgrading expectations for Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. to the sector average, from outperform, because of a mature and satured wireless market and “the market's inability to absorb higher wireless prices.”

Rogers releases mobile wallet application

Rogers Communications Inc. launched an application called the "suretap wallet" on Friday that allows customers to make payments using Rogers’ prepaid MasterCard and gift cards from select merchants.

“With the suretap wallet, customers can safely store eligible payment cards on their smartphone and make purchases by simply holding it up to contactless payment terminals, just like they do today with plastic credit and debit cards,” the company said in a release.

Rogers offers deep mobile discount in Quebec

Rogers Communications Inc. slashed its prices by more than 40 per cent on one of its wireless plans in Quebec after the recent announcement that Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron would begin offering the Apple Inc.’s iPhone, an industry analyst has noted.

Rivals must collaborate on ‘TV everywhere’ offerings: Bell exec

As Canadian television providers have rolled out their TV-everywhere strategies, aimed at fighting off over-the-top (OTT) competition by making content easier to access online, customers can be forgiven if they’re left somewhat confused.

Competition Bureau not appealing Chatr decision

The federal Competition Bureau said Monday it will not appeal a court decision that hit Rogers Communications Inc. with a much lighter penalty than it had sought in relation to Rogers’ claims that its Chatr wireless service had fewer dropped calls than competitors.

In February, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordered Rogers to pay a $500,000 penalty for not exercising due diligence before making such claims in 2010.

Rogers lobbied PM Harper in busy February

Rogers Communications Inc. had the ear of some of the highest officials in the federal government in early February, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper communicated with Rogers on Feb. 5, according to information in the federal lobbyists’ registry. The registered lobbyist is Rogers CEO Guy Laurence, though the online registry notes that he was not necessarily involved in the communication.

Consumer issues and telecommunications are listed as the topics discussed between Rogers and Harper.

CRTC approves sale of two Rogers radio stations

The CRTC said Friday it has approved the sale of two radio stations in New Brunswick by Rogers Communications Inc.

The commission said in an online notice that the sale of CHNI-FM in Saint John to Newcap Inc. has been given the OK, as has the transfer of CKNI-FM in Moncton to Acadia Broadcasting Ltd.

Both new owners of the radio stations were given approval to change their formats from news and talk to music.

Rogers closes $2.1B in financing for spectrum purchases

Rogers Communications Inc. said Monday that it closed about $2.1 billion in financing transactions, which it will use to fund its recent purchases of 700 MHz spectrum licences.

The company said in a release that the proceeds of the financing will be used to help “fund the 'beachfront property' — 20 year licenses for two contiguous, paired blocks of lower band spectrum — acquired in the recent 700 MHz spectrum auction."

Rogers spends billions on spectrum, focuses on A, B pairings

OTTAWA — More than half the money raised in the government’s 700 MHz auction of wireless spectrum came from Rogers Communications Inc., which invested heavily in two key blocks in regions across the country.

The company, which spent nearly $3.3 billion in the auction, avoided most of the prime C, C1, and C2 blocks of the 700 MHz spectrum to spend heavily on 18 licences for A and B blocks paired together regionally.

All told, the company walked away with 22 licences for spectrum blocks across the country.

Telcos should invest in think-tanks to help influence policy debates, Hunter says

Canada’s telecom companies should find new ways to invest in shaping public policy since they can no longer donate to political parties directly, said Lawson Hunter, counsel at Stikeman Elliott and a former head of the federal Competition Bureau.

Rogers launching mobile wallet

Rogers Communications Inc. is launching a mobile payment service that will allow customers to make payments using Rogers’ prepaid MasterCard and some gift cards.

The company said in a release Thursday it hopes to expand the “suretap wallet” service “in the near future” to additional cards, including “payment cards from multiple banks and payment networks and loyalty cards.”

Maich named VP of publishing at Rogers Media

Steve Maich is the new senior vice-president and general manager of publishing at Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division.

The company said in a release Wednesday that Maich will “oversee all Publishing brands and seek opportunities to evolve the business model and identify and develop new sources of revenue.”

Most recently, Maich was founding editor-in-chief and publisher of the Rogers-owned Sportsnet magazine, the release added.

The appointment is effective immediately, it said.

Rogers Media lays off 94 staff

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division laid off 94 employees in an effort to lower expenses, the Canadian Press reported Tuesday.

Andrea Goldstein, senior director of communications at Rogers Media, confirmed in an emailed statement to The Wire Report on Tuesday that “94 employees across Rogers Media have left the company today.” 

She said the cuts will affect about two per cent of Rogers Media’s workforce.

Rogers hires Shaw’s Brad Kubota

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division said Monday it hired industry veteran Brad Kubota for a newly created position.

The company said in a release that Kubota will be Roger Media's vice-president of Western Canada media sales and client solutions, effective Dec. 2. Kubota was regional sales director for Shaw Communications Inc. in British Columbia since 2009 until this month, according to his LinkedIn profile.

CRTC denies Rogers reorganization of Mountain subsidiary

The CRTC denied aspects of a Rogers Communications Inc.’s corporate reorganization as part of a $400-million deal to purchase Shaw Communications Inc.’s cable subsidiary Mountain Cablevision Ltd., saying the change would have separated the broadcast licence owner from the company owner.

Telcos fight for share of growing condo market

As condo developers erect new high-rise buildings to house the expanding populations of Canada’s largest cities, telecom providers are competing to be the ones to line those buildings with fibre-optic cables, sometimes with exclusive deals. 

“Every provider nowadays is looking for how best to capture customers as early and as completely as possible,” Stephen Meyer, director of technology at Nordicity, said in an interview Monday. “By offering one infrastructure to those in condos, they’re hoping to form a long relationship.” 

Rogers profits down on slower sub growth

Rogers Communications Inc. reported slightly lower profits in the third quarter of 2013 as its wireless revenues and postpaid subscriber additions slowed, the company said.

In a quarterly financial report released Thursday, Rogers said it recorded $464 million in net income in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, down about 0.4 per cent from $466 million in the same period a year earlier.

That income included $3.22 billion in operating revenues in the quarter, up two per cent from $3.18 billion in the third quarter of 2012, the company said.

CRTC dives into TV review, says public complaining about channel packaging

The CRTC officially launched its public consultation on television services, asking the public for input into questions related to the Conservative government’s promise to unbundle television channels.

Want pick-and-pay? You may end up paying $9 for TSN, consultant says

If TV subscribers are about to receive individual channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as the Conservative government says it will mandate, they may be surprised at the standalone pricing for some of their favourite channels.

Broadcast consultant and former CRTC commissioner Michel Arpin said that for an idea of the cost of individual channels with high-value programming like sports or movies, observers may want to look at current standalone pricing for pay channels like The Movie Network (owned by BCE Inc. division Bell Media).

Rogers outage caused by signalling traffic surge

Rogers Communications Inc. will provide financial compensation to its wireless customers after an “unprecedented surge” in signalling traffic caused widespread outages Wednesday evening, the company said.

In a series of messages posted on its Twitter account Wednesday, Rogers said its wireless customers across the country experienced voice and text message service outages, though mobile data services were unaffected.

With new roaming plans, customers still vulnerable to extra charges: PIAC

Some of the incumbents' new and cheaper roaming plans offer small data packages that smartphone users will quickly exceed, incurring extra charges, said John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

Telus faces wireless battle in West as millions in East still unserviced

It shouldn't be surprising that Canada's incumbent wireless carriers are targeting Alberta.

It has the fastest-growing population in the country, and more than 80 per cent of its residents are concentrated in urban areas.

Alberta residents were also by far the most lucrative for wireless carriers in 2012, new CRTC data shows, with carriers earning 16 per cent more per month from each Albertan subscriber than from subscribers in other provinces.

Rogers launches mobile advertising service

Rogers Communications Inc. is launching a service for customers to receive “personalized, location-based offers from their favourite retailers on their smartphone,” the company said in a release Wednesday.

The “Rogers Alerts” service will send text messages to customers who have signed up for the service when they are near participating retail locations, Rogers said.

CRTC revokes CityNews licence

Rodrigues joins Rogers

Nataline Rodrigues was appointed director of original programming at Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division.

The appointment is effective Oct. 1, the company said in a release Monday.

Rodrigues will “manage the submission, development, and production of original Canadian programming for all Rogers Media non-sports television brands,” the release said.

Rodrigues’ most recent previous position was executive in charge of production at CBC/Radio Canada, it added.

Rogers offers LTE roaming to U.S.

Rogers Communications Inc. reached an agreement with U.S. carrier AT&T Inc. for Rogers customers visiting the U.S. to roam on AT&T’s LTE network.

The company said in a release Friday that it was “the first Canadian carrier to offer LTE roaming for wireless customers traveling to the U.S.”

Rogers launching all-you-can-eat magazine service

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division will launch a tablet app offering subscribers “all-you-can-read” access to more than 100 magazines.

The company said in a release Thursday that the Next Issue Canada service will cost $10 per month for access to monthly magazines and $15 for monthly and weekly publications from a catalogue that includes 100-plus magazines.

Ken Whyte, president of Rogers Publishing Ltd., will be president of Next Issue Canada, it said.

CRTC dismisses complaint against Rogers

The CRTC dismissed a complaint by NB Spring and Manufacturing Ltd. against Rogers Communications Inc.

Rogers buying Pivot Data Centres, Granite Networks

Rogers Communications Inc. is acquiring Pivot Data Centres for $155 million and Granite Networks for $6.25 million, the company said in a release Monday.

The acquisitions “provide Rogers Business Solutions with unique opportunities to acquire established data centre businesses with significant expansion capacity in prime markets for these services,” the release said.

It said annual revenues for the two businesses are now about $30 million.

Hurdles to clear before older network technologies can be phased out

Telus Corp., BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. have several hurdles to clear before they can benefit from shutting down their older IDEN, CDMA and GSM wireless networks, a move that's likely to happen over the next three to ten years, industry analysts said.

The three incumbent carriers, which each operate three to four wireless technologies, could each save as much as $40 million a year by eliminating these older networks and reuse the wireless airwaves for more fourth-generation LTE traffic.

Rogers expands home monitoring system

Rogers Communications Inc. expanded its home monitoring and automation service to additional communities in Newfoundland and New Brunswick.

The company said in a release Thursday that said it was expanding the Smart Home Monitoring service to 28 additional cities and towns in the two provinces.

Attard joins Rogers

Rogers Communications Inc. appointed Anthony Attard as vice-president of integrated sports sales at its Rogers Media division, the company said.

Attard will “oversee the creation and execution of platform-agnostic solutions and be accountable for attracting and developing top sales talent within the sports group,” and will also be responsible for “driving revenue targets,” the company said in a release Tuesday.

Rogers’ new CEO coming from U.K. market to familiar auction territory

Guy Laurence, the head of Vodafone Group plc's U.K. division, will be in familiar territory in December when he becomes the new CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., a role that will involve dealing with a Canadian federal government unwavering in its pursuit of more wireless competition.

Laurence, 51, will become chief executive of Rogers on Dec. 2, replacing outgoing CEO Nadir Mohamed and bringing in 30 years of international experience in telecom, media, and pay TV, Rogers said in a release Thursday.

Rogers to launch credit card in 2014

Rogers Communications Inc. received authorization from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions to begin offering credit card services.

The company said in a release Friday that it would roll out a pilot program for a “select group of customers” before making the service commercially available in 2014.

Chatr ‘fewer dropped calls’ ads not misleading, Ontario court says

Rogers Communications Inc.’s advertising campaign that claimed its Chatr wireless brand had “fewer dropped calls” than its new entrant competitors was not misleading, said the Ontario court judge who heard the Competition Bureau’s $10-million case against the company.

Rogers to keep asking for changes to auction rules

Rogers Communications Inc. said Monday it will continue to call on the federal government to change its rules for an upcoming auction of wireless airwaves, three days after Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the rules will not be changed.

“We think this is an important issue for Canadians,” Rogers spokeswoman Patricia Trott said in an emailed statement. “We’ll continue to work to make sure they understand the consequences of current government rules, which give an unfair advantage to large foreign players.”

Rogers, Swisscom ink LTE roaming agreement

Rogers Communications Inc. reached a deal with Swiss telecom Swisscom AG that allows their wireless customers to roam on each other’s next-generation LTE networks, Rogers said.

Rogers customers with LTE devices operating on its 2600 MHz spectrum can roam on Swisscom’s LTE network in Switzerland, Rogers said in a release Friday. The deal, which kicked in on July 31, also allows Swisscom’s LTE customers to roam on Rogers’ Canadian network, the company said.

Government likely to block a Rogers-Birch Hill deal for Wind: analysts

Industry Canada would most likely block a deal to acquire Wind Mobile it it involved significant funding from Rogers Communications Inc. or another wireless incumbent, industry analysts said.

In a news report Friday, the Globe and Mail said Rogers is working with Toronto investment firm Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc. to buy Wind in an effort to “sidestep” Industry Canada rules that prevent the new entrant carrier from being sold to incumbents Rogers, BCE Inc. or Telus Corp.

Rogers first to offer new Moto X

Rogers Communications Inc. customers will be the first to have access to Google Inc.'s new Motorola smartphone, the Moto X, for $190 on a two-year plan, Motorola said.

A release Thursday said Rogers customers can reserve the new phone, released this week. The phone “has a unique curved back” and technology that “learns your voice” for improved voice commands, the release said.

Cope rallies BCE staff as incumbents press on with campaign

BCE Inc. chief executive George Cope is calling on all 60,000 company employees to write letters to the prime minister as the incumbents' lobbying campaign to change the government's wireless policy picks up steam in advance of a Sept. 17 deadline.

Cope encouraged BCE employees, in an email message this week, to write letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to urge family and friends to support the incumbents' campaign.

BCE, Rogers, Telus launch more ads against wireless policy

Incumbents BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. released new ads this week as part of their campaign against the Conservative government's wireless policy.

A new message, bearing the theme “Sweetheart deals for U.S. giants are a bad call for you,” appeared in full-page newspaper advertisements and on a new website at FairForCanada.ca.

Moore meets with telcos, stands by 700 MHz auction timeline

Industry Minister James Moore's office said the government is moving ahead with its planned spectrum auction in January as the minister held meetings with telecommunications companies on Monday.

Tories courted Verizon to enter Canada: Rogers

The Conservative government courted Verizon Communications Inc. as a possible new entrant into Canada's mobile wireless market, Rogers Communications Inc. executives told The Toronto Star.

“Everything that they could possibly ask for, they’re doing for Verizon,” Phil Lind, regulatory vice-president and vice-chair of Rogers, told the newspaper during an editorial board meeting on Thursday.

Rogers launches wireless home phone

Rogers Communications Inc. launched wireless home phone and business phone services in areas of the country where its landline services aren’t available, the company said.

In a release Tuesday, Rogers said the new service “offers a traditional home or office phone service using existing fixed line telephones without the need for a landline or internet connection.”

The service includes caller ID, voice mail and Canada-wide calling, the release said, and will require customers to plug an existing phone into an adapter with a SIM card.

Charges for paper bills justified, providers say

Canadian consumers need incentives to make the switch to environmentally friendly electronic bills, SaskTel said in response to CRTC questions about telcos' charges for paper billing. 

Bell, Rogers swap mobile TV content rights

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. have reached a deal to license rights to each other’s sports and over-the-air television content for distribution on their mobile platforms, the companies said.

Rogers, York Region settle dispute over burying cables

Rogers Communications Inc. has settled a two-year dispute with the Regional Municipality of York over how to divide the costs of burying overhead cables, and established a new agreement with the region to avoid further disputes, documents show.

Competition Bureau looking into Shaw-Rogers spectrum deal

The federal Competition Bureau received a Federal Court order compelling Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Globalive Wireless Management Corp. to turn over information as part of an inquiry into Rogers' option deal to purchase Shaw's spectrum licences, court records show.

Inukshuk buys Vecima spectrum

Inukshuk Wireless Partnership has agreed to drop its lawsuit against broadband equipment manufacturer Vecima Networks Inc. after reaching a deal to acquire some of Vecima’s radio spectrum, Vecima said.

In a release Monday, Vecima said it reached a $4-million agreement to sell some of its 3.5 GHz spectrum to Inukshuk, a partnership between Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. dedicated to rolling out a national, wireless broadband network.

Rogers-Videotron deal expected to be first test of new spectrum transfer rules

Rogers Communications Inc.’s proposed deal for Videotron Ltd.’s unused Toronto-area spectrum is expected to give incumbent mobile providers the first indication of whether they can obtain new entrant spectrum after a five-year moratorium expires, industry analysts say.

Rogers releases Internet speed test results

Rogers Communications Inc.’s broadband Internet speeds are as fast as advertised, the company said as it released the results of third-party speed performance testing.

The tests are intended to show Internet customers they are getting the appropriate speeds.

In a release Thursday, Rogers said tests by U.K. technology firm Sam Knows Ltd. showed that the company “delivered an average of 100 per cent or more of advertised download speeds on the most popular packages it offers for sale.”

Pollsters say incumbents fighting a losing battle as PM comments on wireless code

Prime Minister Stephen Harper used social media to weigh in on the CRTC’s decision that wireless consumers should be permitted to cancel their contracts after two years.

Rogers launches rewards, points program

Rogers Communications Inc. said it released a new customer loyalty and points program for its customers.

Customers will have access to rewards extending to U.S. and international roaming packs, talk and text packs, long distance calling, and others, the company said in a release Wednesday.

Rogers cable customers can redeem points for upgrades to their Internet or home phone long distance services, premium TV content, or Rogers On Demand TV content, the release said.

Rogers looking for more wireless spectrum sharing deals to compete with Telus, BCE

Rogers Communications Inc. said it aims to improve its competitive position against BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. through more wireless network sharing agreements, though analysts do not yet see potential for Rogers to expand those deals from coast-to-coast.

Rogers supports removal of foreign ownership rules for broadcast, telecom

Rogers Communications Inc.’s senior regulatory executive said he would support the complete removal of foreign ownership restrictions for Canada’s broadcasting and telecom sectors.

Rogers launches Toronto affordable Internet program

Rogers Communications Inc. will lead a new pilot project this year to provide affordable broadband, computers and software for people living in Toronto community housing, the company said Monday.

The program, called Connected for Success, will help more Toronto youth get online, Rogers said in a release.

Rogers deal a win for Quebecor: analyst

A network sharing agreement between Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Media Inc.'s telecom subsidiary is a “material win” for Videotron and positive for Rogers, RBC telecom analyst Drew McReynolds said.

Rogers drops CityNews Channel

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division cancelled its CityNews Channel as well as the English-language South-Asian newscast on its Omni Television service, the company said.

Scott Moore, president of broadcasting at Rogers Media, said in a release Thursday that the company will also stop its Alberta-based production operations as it focuses its broadcast news resources on the company's CityNews program and Toronto radio station 680 News.

Rogers, Videotron reach network deal for capex savings, more competition in Quebec

Rogers Communications Inc. will be better positioned to compete against rival incumbent wireless carriers BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. in the Quebec market under a new network-sharing agreement with Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary Videotron Ltd., Ken Engelhart, Roger’s senior vice-president of regulatory services, said in an interview.

Chatr hearings wrap up

The Ontario Superior Court wrapped up hearings in Toronto last week on the Competition Bureau's lawsuit against Rogers Communications Inc. for alleged "misleading advertising" related to its discount Chatr wireless brand.

Final arguments finished last week for the Competition Bureau's court action against Rogers for a $10-million penalty for advertising that ran in the summer and fall of 2010, when Rogers’ brand Chatr advertised “fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers.”

Rogers also in talks to purchase Wind; BCE for Public Mobile

Further consolidation in Canada's wireless market is expected this year as Rogers Communications Inc. is another player in talks with Wind Mobile about purchasing the new entrant carrier and BCE Inc. has held discussions with Public Mobile Inc., industry sources said.

The people spoke to The Wire Report on a background basis because the negotiations are private, and said the talks do not necessarily mean those companies are close to announcing deals.

“Everyone is talking to everyone,” one person said.

Safeguards not enough to limit Bell-Astral market power, competitors say

Additional safeguards intended to protect competitors and consumers from a larger stable of media assets under BCE Inc. are not enough for the broadcast regulator to approve its purchase of Astral Media Inc., competing broadcast distributors said.

Bell, Telus chipping away at Rogers’ lead in postpaid wireless

Data usage and subscriber growth powered BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. to higher first quarter wireless revenues as the two companies added more postpaid subscribers at a faster pace than rival incumbent Rogers Communications Inc.

In an earnings statement released Thursday, Bell said it added a net 59,497 postpaid wireless subscribers in the three-month period that ended March 31, bringing its total postpaid subscriber base to 6.48 million, representing 84.5 per cent of its 7.67 million total wireless subscribers.

Mancini joins Rogers as VP of digital sales

Rogers Communications Inc. appointed Michka Mancini as vice-president of it digital sales at its media subsidiary, the company said Monday.

In a release, Rogers said Mancini will be based out of Toronto and lead one of Rogers Media’s five agency groups.

“Mancini will also be responsible for developing and proposing platform-agnostic solutions and attracting and developing top sales talent within the agency group—leveraging the company’s unique expertise and audience insights on multiple platforms,” the company said.

Minister approves Rogers bank application

Rogers Communications Inc. is one step closer to launching credit cards after receiving the Finance Department’s clearance to incorporate its own bank, the company said.

TheScore secures private financing, adds director

Fresh off the completion of the sale of its television assets to Rogers Communications Inc., theScore Inc. secured $16 million in private financing to develop and market its sports mobile applications.

In a release Monday, theScore said it will use the private financing to “accelerate the development and marketing” of its mobile applications, which offer real-time coverage of sporting news, games and events, and which it said had more than 4.2 million monthly users as of January.

Smartphones power Rogers Q1 earnings

Rogers Communications Inc. reported higher first-quarter revenues and profits as the company’s wireless data revenues rose on smartphone customer additions, Rogers said in a quarterly financial statement Monday.

Accelero only foreign player in four bids for Wind: industry sources

Accelero Capital, an investment firm owned by former Wind Mobile investor Naguib Sawiris, is the only foreign bidder so far for the Canadian new entrant carrier, among two bids from incumbent telcos and another from Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., industry sources said.

The sources said Anthony Lacavera, Wind’s founder and outgoing chairman, has a relationship with Accelero and is involved in its bid for Wind Mobile.