# The Big Three (telus, bell, rogers)



## ashin1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Ottawa sets new wireless auction, seeks stronger rivals for Big Three

The Canadian government is moving again to spur competition in a wireless industry dominated by three players, aiming to push smaller companies to merge and create more forceful rivals.

Industry Minister James Moore announced Monday that his government will auction prime AWS-3 spectrum, but in a way that would motivate an investor to buy and combine smaller, struggling firms such as Mobilicity and Wind Mobile.


reference from the Globe and Mail.

thoughts/ concerns?
IMO I doubt anything is really going to change, these are multi-billion dollar companies we are talking about. If anything now is the time to start adding more of these telecoms in your holdings as people are becoming more bearish about them.

discuss.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

There is nothing to discuss.

You said everything when you said:



ashin1 said:


> IMO I doubt anything is really going to change, these are multi-billion dollar companies we are talking about. If anything now is the time to start adding more of these telecoms in your holdings as people are becoming more bearish about them.


It's just not going to happen.
Smaller players have:

- Less product offerings/phones available
- Less coverage/network
- Lower quality data/cell signal (unless they are piggybacking off the big 3, and even then...)
- Less brand loyalty

And most importantly...

They have nothing _new_ and they don't have the capital or the experience/knowledge to compete effectively with the other 3.

Wind, Koodo, Fido, Mobilicty, etc. 
They are all garbage, if you ask me.

Rogers has horrible service, but there's no way I would switch. And if I did switch, I would just switch to Bell.


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

KaeJS said:


> Wind, Koodo, Fido, Mobilicty, etc.
> They are all garbage, if you ask me.


If I'm not mistaken, I believe Koodo, Fido, Virgin, and some of the smaller players operate using the Big 3's spectrums. If the smaller companies gain subscribers I'm sure there is some safeguard that will benefit the big guys.

Also, BCE and Rogers have made way into media as well - I wouldn't say these two companies are just telecoms anymore, so I'm not concerned about the long-term prospects. I will continue to hold and add to BCE.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

You are correct.

Koodo is BCE, Fido is Rogers.

I might be wrong here, but as far as I know, even though they are the same "company" I believe the service is still limited. If it is not limited now, then it used to be.
Fido used to have poorer reception than Rogers. I'm not sure if this has since been changed.

For those interested, here is some talk about Fido/Rogers:

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-30334.html


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

KaeJS said:


> You are correct.
> 
> Koodo is BCE, Fido is Rogers.
> 
> ...


you are wrong, first, telus owns koodoo and as far as i know they use the same network and simply don't have all the choice in phones and all the extras and so on but they provide a good product .. i use telus for an emergency cell phone but i might switch to koodoo if i go cell-phone only


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

+1

We are with Koodo for data and phone. Simply it is the "value" brand of Telus launched in response to Virgin who were partnered with Bell, targeting a younger customer. It is generally one of the lowest priced services. Everything works fine with them - (*much* better customer service, good reception at a fraction of the price compared to Rogers where I was before.


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

KaeJS said:


> You are correct.
> 
> Koodo is BCE, Fido is Rogers.
> 
> ...


See my response above re Koodo. They are a long ways from garbage. Possibly one of the best "value" plays out there.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Koodo = discount Telus.

Fido = discount Rogers.

I use the term discount loosely 

Personally, big fan of Koodo. Great service and decent prices.


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

My Own Advisor said:


> Koodo = discount Telus.
> 
> Fido = discount Rogers.
> 
> ...


Ditto.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Bell/Rogers/Telus being different than Virgin/Fido/Telus is just marketing spin. This called segmentation. You sell much the same product to people who are not price sensitive and those that are moreso. The people who are not price sensitive pay more.


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## gardner (Feb 13, 2014)

The Fido/Rogers relationship is different that the Telus/Koodo one. At one time Fido was a separate company -- Microcell. They had a distinct network footprint comparable to what Mobilicity has now. When Rogers bought them, they kept the networks distinct. Fido subscribers can "roam" onto Rogers footprint, at extra cost.

Going back to the original topic, I think the main problem any new entrant has is the capital cost of setting up a usable network. The huge debt incurred by Fido to start up a network is what killed them, and then Rogers scooped up the infrastructure for cents on the dollar. Even the big players can't afford to roll out a whole network without spreading the cost -- Bell & Telus build their network together. How's some new little-guy startup supposed to build out an infrastructure that even two huge incumbents weren't willing to do on their own?

The only way a new player can get started is for someone like Mobilicity or Wind to go bankrupt and a new player scoop up a bargain debt-free operation. Otherwise any new player will have a huge debt load they can never get out from under.

I suspect what will actually happen is for the little players to continue to go bankrupt and be scooped up by the big players. Nothing will change for subscribers, and shareholders of the little players will get ripped off in favour of the shareholders of the big 3 (like me).


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

As pointed out by gardner, the start-up infrastructure is a killer for the new spectrum. My thought is that the government is really the only entity that has the pockets that can overcome that problem. So, I'm thinking a P3 arrangement with one of the smaller independent cell providers (I.e. Wind) using the proceeds from the auction to provide funds for new infrastructure. I would even involve Canada Post in the mix to provide retail outlets for Wind, as well as the real estate for the new cell towers. The obvious issue would be the blatant subsidy and protests from the big 3, but if the government is really interested in making sure that there is choice, this could be one course of action.


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## plasmasnake (Apr 17, 2014)

There's a lot of misunderstanding and incorrect information here about the coverage of the Big 3 and their subsidiaries... Let me try to clarify.



gardner said:


> Fido subscribers can "roam" onto Rogers footprint, at extra cost.


This information is many years out of date. Fido's (and Chatr's) network coverage is identical to that of Rogers.

Likewise for Virgin Mobile and Bell, and Koodo and Telus.

Not only that, but Bell and Telus have a network sharing agreement, so coverage for Bell and Telus customers is also identical. You can even confirm this by looking at the coverage maps on their respective websites:
http://www.telus.com/en/on/mobility/network/coverage-map.jsp?INTCMP=NETWORKcoveragemap
http://network.bell.ca/en/coverage

The only difference between the Big 3 and their respective subsidiaries is 1) Price plans, 2) Phone selection, and 3) Bundling options (e.g. with TV and Internet). Wireless coverage is literally identical, and it's extremely easy to confirm this by doing some basic research online.

As for the topic at hand, you may be surprised at how quickly a well-financed company could manage to deploy a nation-wide network. In fact, the red tape involved in deploying the cell sites causes more difficulty than getting the actual sites up and running. But there's one thing that the Big 3 have which Videotron doesn't *EDIT: CORRECTION, didn't have until the last auction* (Videotron picked up 700MHz spectrum in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and BC) which is low-frequency spectrum (e.g., 700Mhz, 850MHz) which travels further and penetrates obstacles (e.g. buildings, walls, etc.) more easily when compared to high-frequency spectrum (e.g., 1700MHz, 2100MHz) with equal transmit power. The low-frequency spectrum really makes life easier when deploying a network, since you can effectively make do with half the cell sites (I'm talking about what's required to take care of the initial coverage area goals, and then you can incrementally add capacity later by deploying new cell sites within your coverage zone to relieve congestion, which is called "cell splitting"). Considering how fast they've built up in Quebec, they should be able to do even better with their newly acquired 700MHz spectrum.

If the government forces the Big 3 to share their cell sites with Videotron, that would solve their problem of trying to procure their own sites and getting the backhaul (e.g. fibre) hooked up. All they'd have to do is show up, pay the rent, and install their equipment.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

I am looking at it as a buying opportunity.....


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## Killer Z (Oct 25, 2013)

How cheap does RCI.B need to get before any of you would consider purchasing it? It is rather tempting at these levels.


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## Butters (Apr 20, 2012)

Very tempting I bought some Telus today. I'll hold it 5+ years

They are committed to raise the dividend and share buy back.


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## Homerhomer (Oct 18, 2010)

I bought some rogers today, will buy more if it goes down further.


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## AMABILE (Apr 3, 2009)

I've been in and out with TELUS, taking my profits
to-day looked so tempting to jump back in
instead I added to my existing RCI.B.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

I'm on Telus posting this message from a place called Codeville Lagoon in Queen Charlotte Sound. I've got 3 bars of 4G power....I'd like to see who ever the gov gets to be their 4th player golden child try that, but I doubt a new player would do any of their own build out like the big 3 have.

I seriously cant believe the Telus coverage in goofball deserted places all the way from Desolation Sound to North of Ocean Falls...I'm happy to pay them...same rate as my Verizon with better coverage.


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## Synergy (Mar 18, 2013)

Killer Z said:


> How cheap does RCI.B need to get before any of you would consider purchasing it? It is rather tempting at these levels.


I would be quite interested in and around $38-39. Currently holding Telus & Bell. Never thought I'd be interested in Rogers but it's getting tempting so I'm going to take a closer look at this company.


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## praire_guy (Sep 8, 2011)

plasmasnake said:


> There's a lot of misunderstanding and incorrect information here about the coverage of the Big 3 and their subsidiaries... Let me try to clarify.
> 
> 
> This information is many years out of date. Fido's (and Chatr's) network coverage is identical to that of Rogers.
> ...



Absolutely, 100% NOT true. (Telus and bell having identical coverage.)

I drove from winnipeg to kewlona. I'm on telus, she's on bell I can tell you 100 percent they have very different coverage. Once you hit Alberta your golden with telus, but bell had more consistent coverage.


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

I would also add that the maps are one thing and real coverage in some areas is something else. 

Many times on either Rogers or Koodo (Telus) I have not had any coverage when the maps suggest they do.


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## plasmasnake (Apr 17, 2014)

praire_guy said:


> Absolutely, 100% NOT true. (Telus and bell having identical coverage.)
> 
> I drove from winnipeg to kewlona. I'm on telus, she's on bell I can tell you 100 percent they have very different coverage. Once you hit Alberta your golden with telus, but bell had more consistent coverage.


There are possible explanations for your personal experiences (I'll share some at the end of my post), but what I'm stating is a verifiable fact. Bell and Telus operate a joint HSPA network using a platform called MOCN: Multiple Operator Core Network. They split the $1 billion cost of building out the network together back in 2008: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/bell-teams-up-with-rival-telus-on-3g/article1200256/

You can hear it straight from Bell's CTO here. Especially see that parts that I bolded:

http://www.huawei.com/en/about-huawei/publications/communicate/hw-082751.htm



> To tackle coverage challenges and bring mobile services to more Canadians faster, Bell and its rival, Telus, initiated a network sharing agreement in 2001. The new HSPA network, to be jointly built by the two competitors, is an extension of the network sharing agreement. What is the scope of the agreement, and what kind of network engineering challenges will it bring?
> 
> Mr. Howe acknowledges that Telus and Bell are fierce rivals. "We are actually very tough competitors in stores, marketing, pricing, handset selection etc." The network agreement, as Mr. Howe sees it, is win-win from a capital investment perspective as well as delivering lower OPEX. Networks can be built faster and provide better choice in services to customers and end users. "Our rural customers would be waiting for years for each of us to build our networks separately. But sharing the cost makes a lot of difference in time to completion, and we can compete for customers much more quickly in the marketplace."
> 
> ...


There are many possible explanations for your different experiences between you and your wife. For example, there can be big performance disparities between the cellular radio on different phones. Also, although you may be in the same place, it is possible for each of your phones to be connected to a different base station.

RBull: I'm well aware of the disaparity between the advertised and actual coverage. What is advertised is generally the idealized situation (e.g. outdoors & no obstacles), which is overly optimistic. But what I wanted to illustrate is that there are places where either Bell and Telus own spectrum where the other does not. Yet, they advertise the same coverage area. This is a good indication that they have a sharing agreement going on. But there is other more solid proof, as I already noted above.


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## leeder (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm conflicted with Rogers right now in terms of the stock. Earnings likely coming later this week. Most have pegged that it will be another bad quarter. Trades at low P/E, but has high debt ratios. Good looking dividend, but probably better off paying down debt with their cash than increasing dividend for shareholders. While a 4th wireless competitor is unlikely, the government keeps poking its nose in the telecom space. If the earnings disappoint and the stock goes down to below $41, would that be a buy for people?


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

I'm tempting leeder, under $40. I keep watching...


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## yyz (Aug 11, 2013)

And the rumours finally come true as BCE takes Bell Aliant private

http://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/bce-to-privatize-affiliate-bell-aliant


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Nice. Good for shareholders of BA and good for longer-term growth of BCE I think.


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## leeder (Jan 28, 2012)

Good for Bell Aliant investors. This, after years and years of speculation... 

Not sure what the implication is for BCE.


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## plasmasnake (Apr 17, 2014)

I had actually placed a limit order for some BA stock last week, but it didn't get filled since the price went up afterwards. I liked the idea of just being exposed to the wireline Internet business without touching any of the media/TV or wireless stuff. With that opportunity gone, I'm reluctantly considering BCE or T, but most likely the latter since they are only involved with internet and wireless. Need to decide where to put the cash...


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## Canadian (Sep 19, 2013)

Quite good new for BA shareholders! I've had a hunch this would happen since the three telcos started getting grief from the competition bureau - the question was always _when_. I sold my BA in January to explore other opportunities - that ended up working out - but the lucky ducks (or smart ducks) that kept holding got a nice treat today!


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## leeder (Jan 28, 2012)

plasmasnake said:


> I had actually placed a limit order for some BA stock last week, but it didn't get filled since the price went up afterwards. I liked the idea of just being exposed to the wireline Internet business without touching any of the media/TV or wireless stuff. With that opportunity gone, I'm reluctantly considering BCE or T, but most likely the latter since they are only involved with internet and wireless. Need to decide where to put the cash...


Telus has pulled back from its highs rather nicely. I would prefer the price to be lower, but I think below $38 is a pretty good entry point. You also don't have to deal with operational issues, like Rogers is right now, with Telus.


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## Killer Z (Oct 25, 2013)

leeder said:


> Telus has pulled back from its highs rather nicely. I would prefer the price to be lower, but I think below $38 is a pretty good entry point. You also don't have to deal with operational issues, like Rogers is right now, with Telus.


It's a tough call ......do you buy:

1) Telus (which has pulled back a bit), and is currently performing better than Rogers, but has a much higher P/E; or
2) Rogers (which has pulled back significantly), which is not performing as well as Telus and currently the runt of the Telcos?

Essentially do you go for the steady play, or the comeback play?


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## leeder (Jan 28, 2012)

Killer Z said:


> It's a tough call ......do you buy:
> 
> 1) Telus (which has pulled back a bit), and is currently performing better than Rogers, but has a much higher P/E; or
> 2) Rogers (which has pulled back significantly), which is not performing as well as Telus and currently the runt of the Telcos?
> ...


For the long-term, either one or buy both. Without doubt, Rogers is trading cheaper than both BCE and Telus and may have more capital appreciation 3 or 4 years down the road. That said, Rogers has lagged its competitors quite a bit over the past 5 years due to operational issues. New CEO is supposed to fix that, but will need time. In the mean time, based on other metrics, Rogers's dividend growth is lower than Telus's for the past couple years now. Telus has a higher trailing P/E, but has a lower P/B than Rogers (per Reuters). My biggest discomfort is with Rogers's debt; the total debt-equity ratio is close to 3.00. Telus and BCE are about 1.00.

I buy telecoms because they offer steady growth and dividends. I bought into Telus last year during the whole Verizon incident and have been happy with the steady capital appreciation and the planned two dividend increases through 2016.


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## plasmasnake (Apr 17, 2014)

leeder said:


> For the long-term, either one or buy both. Without doubt, Rogers is trading cheaper than both BCE and Telus and may have more capital appreciation 3 or 4 years down the road. That said, Rogers has lagged its competitors quite a bit over the past 5 years due to operational issues. New CEO is supposed to fix that, but will need time. In the mean time, based on other metrics, Rogers's dividend growth is lower than Telus's for the past couple years now. Telus has a higher trailing P/E, but has a lower P/B than Rogers (per Reuters). My biggest discomfort is with Rogers's debt; the total debt-equity ratio is close to 3.00. Telus and BCE are about 1.00.
> 
> I buy telecoms because they offer steady growth and dividends. I bought into Telus last year during the whole Verizon incident and have been happy with the steady capital appreciation and the planned two dividend increases through 2016.


I agree more or less with this. Also, based on trailing P/E, as you said BCE and T are trading at much higher multiples (~19/18) compared to RCI (~13.5). But based on forward P/E, the gap is a lot smaller (~15.5/14.5 vs ~13.5). It makes me wonder if maybe RCI should be priced even lower (unless they surprise everyone with higher than expected earnings), since the risk of higher interest rates needs to be factored in. Higher interest rates would depress the valuations of all 3 companies but more so with Rogers since their increased debt expenses could affect dividends. Edit: But hey I'm no expert and it's not like I've worked out the actual numbers, so of course I can't assert where it "should" be trading at. Maybe others can pitch in and elaborate.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

"My biggest discomfort is with Rogers's debt; the total debt-equity ratio is close to 3.00."

Agreed.

If RCI.B drops, I will buy though. P/E looking good as are dividends over 4%.


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## favelle75 (Feb 6, 2013)

Rather large jump in RCI today. Almost a dollar!


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Probably because earnings are down...


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

i'm mindful of what happened when verizon/vodaphone whiffed that they might come to canada & domestic telcos plummeted.

i'd bet that the federal government will let foreign investment restrictive barriers fall from around the phone industry long before they will ever let such barriers slip from the financial industry.

in reverse: canadian banks are safer, long-term, from global competition than bce or telus or rogers, who might get eaten for breakfast.


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## plasmasnake (Apr 17, 2014)

My Own Advisor said:


> Probably because earnings are down...


I'm guessing you're being sort of sarcastic here? lol. It seems like investors were expecting worse. Talk about low expectations!


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

humble_pie said:


> i'm mindful of what happened when verizon/vodaphone whiffed that they might come to canada & domestic telcos plummeted.
> 
> i'd bet that the federal government will let foreign investment restrictive barriers fall from around the phone industry long before they will ever let such barriers slip from the financial industry.
> 
> in reverse: canadian banks are safer, long-term, from global competition than bce or telus or rogers, who might get eaten for breakfast.


+1 ...


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

plasmasnake said:


> It seems like investors were expecting worse. Talk about low expectations!


The only explanation : EPS in line, revenue down and stock is up more than 1%


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## yyz (Aug 11, 2013)

humble_pie said:


> i'm mindful of what happened when verizon/vodaphone whiffed that they might come to canada & domestic telcos plummeted.
> 
> i'd bet that the federal government will let foreign investment restrictive barriers fall from around the phone industry long before they will ever let such barriers slip from the financial industry.
> 
> in reverse: canadian banks are safer, long-term, from global competition than bce or telus or rogers, who might get eaten for breakfast.


So Verizon passed on Canada and bought out their European cohort
AT&T Wants to buy Direct TV 

So I'm sorry who's the big bad wolf that would want to be the 4th fiddle?

Even the USA doesn't have 4 huge players with 10X the population. I say relax it's just Harper dreaming/lulling you into the election with lower rates just like those 2 year contracts did (yeah right)


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

yyz said:


> So Verizon passed on Canada and bought out their European cohort
> AT&T Wants to buy Direct TV
> 
> So I'm sorry who's the big bad wolf that would want to be the 4th fiddle?
> ...


Everything that Harper did with telecoms was complete BS ...as a result we just paying more...


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## blin10 (Jun 27, 2011)

gibor said:


> Everything that Harper did with telecoms was complete BS ...as a result we just paying more...


+1, he needs to go...


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

blin10 said:


> +1, he needs to go...


To be replaced by whom?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Not sure the evidence supports the claim that Harper's telcom reforms have increased prices. Telcos have started shifting the cost burden onto data, certainly.


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## yyz (Aug 11, 2013)

And hardware prices have gone up to recoup the money in 2 years vs a 3 year contract


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

Nemo2 said:


> To be replaced by whom?


anyone who will legalize pot and a liberal death with dignity law ... anyone ... i am nominally a harper supporter (to the degree that, at the age of 65, i have faith in any politician) and i can't wait to vote him out ... this guy is 4-day old fish, he has got to go


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

fatcat said:


> anyone who will legalize pot and a liberal death with dignity law


Hmm.....haven't smoked weed for a number of decades, and didn't think about legalization even when I did.....so, (personally), I find it odd that this would be an important issue in the running of a nation.........but thinking about it has made me want to order a pizza...or two......now where's that damn phone? "Umm....Dave's not here."


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

Nemo2 said:


> Hmm.....haven't smoked weed for a number of decades, and didn't think about legalization even when I did.....so, (personally), I find it odd that this would be an important issue in the running of a nation.........but thinking about it has made me want to order a pizza...or two......now where's that damn phone? "Umm....Dave's not here."


i am not a pot smoker but am fed up with seeing tax dollars (not to mention lives) wasted by the "war" on drugs, i have had it ... 

death with dignity is a very important issue to me since i believe i shoild have the right to go out on my own terms and harper will never bring that in

i'm told old to give a shite about the "running of the nation", that is younger peoples problem, they don't much listen to me anyway

5 years ago i would have been considered a supporter but the prostitution laws, war on drugs, copyright and privacy legsilation and death with dignity show me that harper has got both feet planted firmly in the 1950's ... he has got go


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## yyz (Aug 11, 2013)

Well this thread has now veered a little off course


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## ashin1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Can't see rogers going anywhere for the next 5-10 years


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

andrewf said:


> Not sure the evidence supports the claim that Harper's telcom reforms have increased prices. Telcos have started shifting the cost burden onto data, certainly.


Evidence I see now when I want to order new service  logically , 3 big telcos spend millions on fighting against VZ, also they lost on forcing to abandon 3 y contracts.... obviously they will try to return those money on more expensive contracts and giving up much worse free hardware when you sign contract....

I always was voting Harper, but I got fed up with his party wasting my tax dollars.... don't want to discuss it too much here...


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

ashin1 said:


> Can't see rogers going anywhere for the next 5-10 years


If you talking about company (not stock price), I don't see Rogers ,as well as BCE ,going anywhere also in 20-25 years


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

I think Rogers is well ahead of the curve long term...they have secured the pipelines and the content, their future is very bright


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## ashin1 (Mar 22, 2014)

well hopefully in 15 years they will be on the moon  haha....just had to rebump this thread back onto topic


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

gibor said:


> I always was voting Harper, but I got fed up with *his party *wasting my tax dollars....


So you would like a _*different*_ party to waste your tax dollars, instead?


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

HaroldCrump said:


> So you would like a _*different*_ party to waste your tax dollars, instead?


I'd like to vote for party that spends my tax $ on what is appealed to me. Currently, there is no such party, so most likely I will just boycott upcoming election...


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

gibor said:


> I'd like to vote for party that spends my tax $ on what is appealed to me. Currently, there is no such party, so most likely I will just boycott upcoming election...


If you don't participate you can't complain.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

It would be good to hand Harper a minority government. Just tricky to achieve without overshooting!


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

kcowan said:


> It would be good to hand Harper a minority government. Just tricky to achieve without overshooting!


I was thinking about it too....

_If you don't participate you can't complain. _ I voted for him last 2 elections... but after some of his actions I don't feel voting for him. and there is no other candidate I like....


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

gibor said:


> and there is no other candidate I like....


But if you don't vote for whomever you think is the best _available_ candidate you have just increased (however minutely) the possibility of the individual you consider the worst candidate getting elected.

(Apparently a fair number of Republican supporters decided to abstain rather than vote for Romney in the last US election.......how'd _that_ turn out?)


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## Killer Z (Oct 25, 2013)

My Telus order filed today ......happy to finally have this one in my portfolio.


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## nortel'd (Mar 20, 2012)

gibor said:


> I'd like to vote for party that spends my tax $ on what is appealed to me. Currently, there is no such party, so most likely I will just boycott upcoming election...


To be counted, rather than boycott, “decline/refuse” your ballot at your polling station. Declining a ballot is legally permitted in a few Canadian provinces, including Ontario plus Canadian federal elections allow a ballot to be refused on certain grounds. Mind you …by deciding to decline your vote, Elections Canada interprets a declined vote as a forfeit not as a protest vote or “none of the above.”
I don’t care how they wish to interpret my action; to me “declining” amounts to my voting "none of the above" and that is who I voted for during the June 12 Ontario provincial election. 

BTW
I hold shares of BCE and MBT and am planning to purchase T with my BA disposition. I am also looking at purchasing more AT&T for my US margin account. As I already hold MBT, I am not interested in Rogers. 

I bought 500 shares of Bell Aliant back in 2007 for $31.99 each including the commission. Shortly after my purchase their stock price dropped never to return to such highs until 7:21AM ET on Wednesday Jul 23, 2014 . I have held them since I bought them and thanks to Bell deciding to privatize Bell Aliant, I am getting rid of them at a slight loss. My ACB is $31.96


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## Gabs (May 7, 2014)

Hoping for telus to pullback more and might start a position, out of all the cheese that is Canadian mobile service think koodo is the best/cheapest option.


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## blin10 (Jun 27, 2011)

telus poped above 200ma, might be a nice move up tomorrow if markets stay green


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

It's always interesting to see how some of these companies, Telus specifically, are responding to the limited growth opportunities in Canada. I've held this one for a while. Telus recently purhased a German company that delivers call centre support to global businesses. I guess you could say Telus has gone global to find opportunities.
The market gave it a little nudge, but overall Telus carries alot of debt. it will be interesting to see where all of this goes. I wince whenever it announces a dividend increase because I think that they should pay down their debt. Will it work?


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