Canadian Telecom Summit: Videotron Builds, Develops and Creates Value
June 01 2011 - 11:02AM
Marketwired
Robert Depatie, Videotron's President and CEO spoke today at the
Canadian Telecom Summit held in Toronto while hundreds from the
telecommunications industry gathered to listen. Here are the main
lines of the speech he delivered.
"The last time we spoke, I said that Videotron would offer
attractive mobile products and services and a lot of value. I am
proud to report that we have done just that. We promised lower
prices on the mobile bill. We delivered. We promised better and
more flexible offers to our customers. We delivered on that front,
as well."
"As for the contentious issue of usage-based billing, UBB is
simple in concept: an Internet provider will apply an extra fee to
certain heavy users who go over a pre-approved bandwidth limit. For
Videotron, the issue is less polemic. With our customers, there is
no battle." "We note that this issue affects only a small minority
of Canadian Internet users." "... the first (option) is to use the
tools at our disposal to manage activity on the network. In this
scenario, those who exceed their limits are asked to make a small
additional contribution. Therefore, in a managed network, only the
heaviest users pay overage fees. It is the option that Videotron
implemented several years ago. We manage our Internet network, and
we limit how much consumption is free."
"Canada faces some crucial choices. The upcoming 700 megahertz
auction and usage-based billing are two of them. How we deal with
these issues will largely determine Canada's ability to lead the
world in innovation, enterprise and technology. The wrong policy
decisions could be devastating. Sometime next year, the Government
of Canada will hold the most important spectrum auction in the
history of this industry. Everyone is anxiously waiting to see what
rules Industry Canada will set for this auction."
"In 2008, Industry Canada set aside a portion of the AWS
spectrum for new entrants. It was a wise move that helped to foster
a new era of competition in the Canadian marketplace. Four new
wireless carriers entered the market - four companies offering
fresh new ideas, innovative offerings and better customer care.
Videotron was one of them. The result? Canadians - and not only
Quebeckers - are able to enjoy more choice, more value, better
prices, and better service. Now, with the upcoming 700 megahertz
auction, the Government has the opportunity to cement true wireless
competition."
"We propose the use of an in-band spectrum cap for the upcoming
700 MHz auction. The cap would work as follows: Any bidder who
already owns low-frequency cellular spectrum in a given region
would be allowed to bid on and if successful purchase, one new
spectrum block at 700 MHz. Any bidder who does not already own low-
frequency cellular spectrum in that region would be allowed to buy
up to two new spectrum blocks at 700 MHz. That's it. That's all.
The advantages of the Videotron proposal are several. It would not
exclude any company from bidding on spectrum, nor would it
guarantee that they would succeed. It would not be a set-aside.
Furthermore, it would avoid any definitional skirmish over who is -
or who is not - a new entrant. Oh, and as you can see from this
slide, the incumbent cellular carriers would still come out on
top."
"Canada's place in the 21st century digital world will
ultimately be the result of decisions that we make today. When we
look back on those decisions in five years or in twenty-five years,
we won't be focusing on the minutiae: Did Industry Canada slice its
spectrum blocks perfectly? Did the CRTC give Internet resellers
just the right margin? Only one question will matter, really: Did
policy makers do everything they could to create the conditions to
allow service providers to flourish/to allow competing network
builders to create the platforms for newer, faster, better services
to Canadians? All other questions will be secondary, if material at
all. I leave you to ponder the implications."
Check against delivery.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of
Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company
engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development,
and Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services.
Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its interactive
Digital TV service and its broadband network, which supports
high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable
television, and other services. As of March 31, 2011, Videotron was
serving 1,808,600 cable television customers, including 1,243,700
subscribers to its digital service. Videotron is also the Quebec
leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,267,100 subscribers to
its cable and mobile services as of March 31, 2011. As of the same
date, Videotron had 164,700 subscriber connections to its mobile
telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to
1,129,800 Quebec households and organizations. For the sixth
consecutive year, Videotron was named Quebec's most respected
telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a
Leger Marketing survey.
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Contacts: Elodie Girardin-Lajoie Specialist, Media and Analysts
Corporate Communications 514 380-7772 Mobile: 514 516-7772
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