Bell reports “significant growth” in Q1 results, wireless revenues and subscribers both increase

The last three months for Bell have been nothing short of dramatic.

The telecom giant saw the departure of Kevin Crull as the president of Bell Media after he was accused of meddling in CTV’s coverage of the CRTC’s recent TV pick-and-pay decision. Bell’s Relevant Advertising Program was shut down following a report by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner that said the program had significant privacy concerns. And the company was forced to change the way it bills its Mobile TV customers after a CRTC decision on net neutrality.

However, amidst that turmoil, Bell’s business saw “significant growth,” according to the company’s Q1 results, which were released today. Wireless revenues jumped 9.7 per cent to $1.64 billion from $1.49 billion during the same period last year. At the end of March, Bell’s wireless subscriber numbers rose to 8,102,714, an increase of 2.5 per cent from the end of Q1 2014. Net postpaid additions were 35,000 for the quarter, while postpaid churn, the number of people leaving Bell, dropped six basis points to 1.18%.

The average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) also increased to $60.83, up $0.09, as a result of “2-year plans and greater data usage.”

Bell also noted that its LTE network now reaches 91 per cent of the Canadian population as of March 31, 2015. They also said that 52 per cent of their customers are using LTE-compatible devices. Out of its 8.1 million total subscribers, 77 per cent have smartphones, says Bell.