BCE Adds 57,678 Total Retail Internet and IPTV Customers in Q4-2019

MONTRÉAL — In its Q4-2019 results, Canadian ISP BCE reported that it added 57,678 total retail internet and IPTV customers in Q4-2019.

"Bell's leading network performance, service innovations and focused execution by our team delivered very positive results in a highly competitive fourth quarter. Our wireless, wireline and media operating segments all contributed to our strong financial performance as we welcomed more than 181,000 net new wireless, Internet and IPTV subscribers to Bell in the quarter and approximately 743,000 for the year, a 5% increase over 2018," said Mirko Bibic, Bell's president and CEO.

"These results underscore that Bell is well positioned to lead the way as we take Canadian communications into the next generation with all-fiber broadband and mobile 5G services. Bell's goal is advancing how Canadians connect with each other and the world, and our team will deliver by championing customer experience in this new world of communications possibilities," said Mr. Bibic. "Bell is ready to launch initial 5G service, and we are eager to build on our and the broader Canadian industry's success in delivering high-quality mobile 4G access to more than 99% of the national population. Canada's wireless infrastructure is the envy of the world for its coverage, speed and reliability, and consumers are taking full advantage of these high-performance networks, enhanced data services and falling prices to get more value from wireless than ever before. In fact, Bell gained more net new wireless subscribers in 2019 than in any year since 2005. As we enter the exciting next generation of mobile connectivity, it bears emphasizing that we need a regulatory environment that encourages the ongoing significant capital investment and speedy deployment of wireless spectrum necessary to enable Canada to also lead the way in 5G." 

Bell Announces 5G Partnership with Nokia

"As part of our mobile 5G strategy, Bell announced our first 5G network equipment supplier agreement with long-time partner Nokia," continued Mr. Bibic. "The Finnish company has quickly become a leading international vendor of 5G network solutions with more than 60 commercial 5G contracts with wireless carriers worldwide. Bell is ready to deliver initial 5G service in urban centers across Canada as next-generation smartphones come to market in 2020, and will continue to enhance 5G access speeds, capacity and coverage as additional 5G wireless spectrum, including in the 3.5 GHz band, becomes available this year through the federal government's spectrum auction process.

Broadband Expansion for Centers Large and Small

As part of its fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) expansion into the populous 905 region surrounding Toronto, Bell is bringing direct fiber links to more than 200,000 residential and business locations in the City of Hamilton. "We also continue to expand the reach of our fiber network in smaller centers, including in Northern Manitoba to approximately 2,800 locations in the City of Flin Flon," said Mr. Bibic. "More rural Canadians continue to have access to Bell broadband with the ongoing expansion of our Wireless Home internet service with recent deployments to dozens more small communities in Eastern Ontario, in the Eastern Townships and the Montérégie region in Québec.