Rogers to increase wireless network spending, according to report

In an interview with the Globe and Mail’s Christine Dobby, Rogers CEO Joe Natale announced that the telecom giant will increase its wireless network spending, in order to better compete with Bell and Telus.

A recent PCMag speedtest report released in September 2017 revealed that Rogers not only placed third out of Canada’s big three telecoms in terms of download speed, but also lagged behind in terms of latency, upload speed and even time on LTE.

It should be mentioned, however, that time on LTE was only a minor issue. Bell and Telus were given a 100 percent time on LTE rating, while Rogers received a 99 percent score.

“Now, I’ve laid those out and I’ve been very clear about this: We’re going to see our [capital expenditure’ intensity in wireless to be more in line with our peers,” Natale told the Globe and Mail. “Network capability is very important to us.”

In 2016, Rogers reportedly spent $702 million CAD on wireless investments, which was a 19 percent decrease from the $866 million it spent in 2015.

In comparison, Telus spent $982 million, while Bell spent $733 million.

Natale also told the Globe that he plans on bringing Rogers’ wireless network spending back up to the 12-to-14 percent.

Further, the Globe reported that Rogers will invest $825 million into its wireless business in 2017, and $1.1 billion in 2018, citing Desjardins Securities analyst Maher Yaghi.

Natale joined Rogers as its CEO and president on April 19th, 2017, taking over from Guy Laurence, who stepped down in October 2016.

On his first day, Natale emphasized Rogers’ need to improve its customer service approach. He later reiterated his desire to better Rogers’ customer service, stating that “you really have to look end-to-end to drive the needle on customer service.”

Rogers also reported 10,625,000 wireless subscribers as of Q3 2017, with net wireless profits of $2.138 billion.

Source: The Globe and Mail