Wireless network to improve safety along highways, power
local businesses and deliver the ultimate mobile video experiences
to customers
VANCOUVER,
June 12, 2014 /CNW/ - Rogers
Communications, together with Premier Christy Clark, today announced a planned
investment of over $450 million in
British Columbia over the next
three years to expand its wireless network in over 70 communities
in the northeast, Interior, Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island.
As part of this investment, Rogers will also enhance existing LTE
connections with 700 MHz spectrum to allow customers to access the
internet in even more places, including deep into buildings,
elevators and basements. When complete, Rogers will have invested
$2 billion in its network in B.C.,
including bringing the world's leading wireless network technology,
LTE, to rural and urban customers across the province.
"We believe in the growth and future of B.C. and are investing
in the province and local communities," said Phil Lind, vice chairman and executive vice
president, regulatory, Rogers Communications. "Today's commitment
to further enhance our network infrastructure will give British
Columbians reliable and consistent access to the latest technology
across the province."
"The majority of British Columbians use a smartphone at work,
school, or at home - and demand is rising fast," said Premier
Christy Clark. "This investment
means more British Columbians, in more parts of the province, will
have more and better wireless internet access, which will allow
them to stay connected to news, opportunities, and each other."
The Rogers wireless network will give more British Columbians
reliable access to emergency services across the province,
including along highways and in remote communities. Mobile data
terminals in ambulance, fire and police vehicles are powered by
wireless networks and give first responders access to police
databases, building blueprints and transmit vital signs on a
critically injured patient directly to doctors so they can give
more advanced treatment en route to hospital.
British Columbia's growing
economy, which includes 385,900 small businesses, relies on network
infrastructure to communicate, collaborate and compete1.
The network investment by Rogers will give local industry access to
the latest technology and always-on wireless Internet to fuel
growth and connections to business partners across the province and
internationally. The northeast, which continues to lead the
province in the number of self-employed British Columbians, is
identified as a key region to benefit from the Rogers network
expansion2.
Rogers is also meeting consumer demand for data by deploying the
latest wireless internet network technology to over ninety-eight
per cent of B.C's population. Mobile video alone is expected to
account for over two-thirds of the world's data traffic by
20183. In British
Columbia, over sixty-four per cent of residents own a
smartphone and use it on average 1.7 hours per day to check email
(77%), search online (69%) and stream video (33%)4.
British Columbians already benefit from Rogers LTE, Canada's fastest wireless network. These
speeds mean people can watch videos on their phones with limited
buffering or delays and nearly immediately access information and
maps online. Rogers has already rolled out 700 MHz spectrum to
communities in Vancouver, offering
improved signal quality in basements, elevators and in buildings
with thick concrete walls, and will continue to expand to other
parts of the province.
For more information, visit rogers.com/LTE.
About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications
and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless
voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable
television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through
Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting,
televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports
entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the
Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, Risks and
Assumptions
This release includes "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of applicable securities laws and assumptions
concerning future wireless network investments. We caution
that all forward-looking information is inherently subject to
change and uncertainty and that actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors
could cause actual results and events to differ materially from
those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information or
could cause our current objectives, strategies and intentions to
change, and many of these factors are beyond our control and
current expectation or knowledge. Should one or more of these
risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, our objectives,
strategies or intentions change, or any other factors or
assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove
incorrect, our actual results and our plans could vary
significantly from what we currently foresee. Accordingly, we warn
investors to exercise caution when considering statements
containing forward-looking information and that it would be
unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights
regarding our future results or plans. We are under no obligation
(and we expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter
any statements containing forward-looking information, the factors
or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
All of the forward-looking information in this earnings release is
qualified by the cautionary statements herein.
______________________________________
1 BC Stats. (2013). Small Business Profile 2013.
Retrieved from
http://www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/pdf/SB_Profile_2013.pdf
2 ibid
3 Cisco. (February 5,
2014). Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data
Traffic Forecast Update, 2013-2018. Retrieved from:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white_paper_c11-520862.html
4 Insights West. (2013, July). Smartphone Trends.
Retrieved from
http://www.insightswest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BCAMASEP_InsightsWest_iamota_SmartphonesForIamota_17Dec2012_updatedPUBLICVERSION_DM.pdf
SOURCE Rogers Communications Inc.