Rogers first in North America to make TXT EZ

Survey shows customers looking for more email-type features when texting

TORONTO, May 20 /CNW/ - Starting immediately, text messaging enthusiasts across the country will be able to experience enhanced services with the introduction of Rogers' Extreme Text Messaging service, a first in North America. Designed to increase convenience and functionality, the new service allows customers to personalize their texting experience by adding a personal signature, setting up distribution lists, blocking and forwarding. Rogers customers with existing text bundles, packs or plans will be able to use Extreme Text Messaging at no additional charge.

Rogers saw the demand for this service as the number of person-to-person text messages sent continues to increase in Canada. According to a recent study by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, 35.3 billion text messages were sent in 2009, an increase of 70 per cent over 2008.

"People want to stay connected with their friends and family, any time, any place and texting is on the rise as is the personalization of communications," said Raj Doshi, VP, Mobile Product Management, Rogers. "The Rogers Extreme Text Messaging service is designed to help make texting more personal by bringing new individualized features to our customers' plans and making the experience as easy to use as email."

New research conducted for Rogers by Harris/Decima found that 63 per cent of text messaging enthusiasts use it to send quick bits of information to friends and family and about half indicated that they use text messaging to stay in touch with friends (59 per cent) and/or family (49 per cent).

The survey also found that 65 per cent of text messaging users want to do more with their text messaging services. More than one-third (35 per cent) of respondents wished they could block text messages from certain numbers.

Extreme Text Messaging features include:

    
    -  Text Blocker: Block text messages to stop receiving text messages from
       specific telephone numbers.

    -  Distribution Lists: Set up a text messaging distribution list for your
       family, friends or coworkers, so you can quickly message them all at
       once, rather then having to add recipients to each message one by one.

    -  Text Forward: Forward your text messages automatically to another
       phone number, perfect if you carry a work and personal phone and only
       want to carry one with you on the weekend.

    -  Text Auto-Reply: On vacation? In the movie theatre? Set up an
       auto-reply message that is automatically sent to anyone who sends you
       a text message.

    -  Personal Signature: Personalize your text messages by creating a
       signature or message that is automatically included at the end of
       every text message you send.
    

About Rogers Communications Inc

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, and sports entertainment. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A - News and RCI.B - News) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI - News). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit http://www.rogers.com/.

About the survey

The data was gathered between May 6th through May 9th, 2010 through Harris/Decima's weekly teleVox, the company's national omnibus survey. A representative sample of 1,000 Canadians were surveyed, of which 653 own a mobile phone and 283 send at least one text message a month on average. The corresponding margin of error for mobile phone owners is +/-3.8%, 19 times out of 20, and the margin of error for text messaging users is +/-5.8%, 19 times out of 20.

For further information: Media contact: Andrea Sardinha, Rogers Communications Inc., [email protected], [phone]