Rogers Hires Independent Third Party to Conduct In-Home Testing of Customer Broadband Speeds

Testing to provide additional measurement as part of company's commitment to delivering World-Leading Internet Experiences

TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2012 /CNW/ - Rogers Communications announced today it has signed an agreement with SamKnows Ltd., an independent world leader in broadband performance testing, to conduct ongoing measurement of broadband internet speed, based on customer data collected in the home.

"With Internet usage exploding, speed is more important than ever to the customer experience," said John Boynton, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Communications. "We are committing to long-term in-home testing as an additional quality measure to ensure customers are getting world-leading Internet experiences.   We encourage other ISPs to do the same."

Rogers has invested more than $10 billion in network infrastructure. Working with SamKnows, which has performed testing for international regulators including the FCC in the U.S. and Ofcom in the U.K., Rogers will have the ability to measure actual customers' Hi Speed Internet speeds on a consistent basis.   This testing is complementary to existing testing the company conducts.

Using a custom hardware device called a Whitebox that simply plugs-in to a customer's existing internet connection, SamKnows will measure Internet upload and download performance as well as other key performance indicators such as latency.

"We are excited to have this opportunity to bring the proven SamKnows methodology for measuring broadband speeds to Canada," says Alex Salter, Chairman of SamKnows. "We will be testing the actual Internet speeds Canadians experience in their homes.  We are pleased that Rogers is the first Canadian ISP to commit to such a large home-based testing program."

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives Rogers has made to help customers be confident that they are getting world-leading Internet experiences.   Earlier this year, Rogers engaged LeMay-Yates to conduct research to help give a more accurate look at how Canada's actual broadband speeds stacked up on a global scale relative to advertised speeds.  The report found Canada ranked within the top 10 countries internationally for fastest Internet speeds delivered.  In addition, Rogers announced it would phase out its Internet Traffic Management Policy, which was designed to manage peer-to-peer Internet uploaded traffic. This phase out is on track to be completed by the end of 2012. Most recently, Rogers announced that it is working towards SysTrust Certification of its Hi-Speed Internet Data Meter Systems with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). This certification process includes evaluating the processes Rogers uses to measure customer Hi-Speed Internet data usage.

About SamKnows

SamKnows has established itself as the leading authority on broadband service availability and independent broadband performance testing.
Founded in 2008 and operating from London, United Kingdom, this privately held and independent company continues to build out its global measurement platform, creating a standard for broadband performance measurement. As part of its work with the FCC (USA), Ofcom (UK), the European Commission, Anatel (Brazil), and the IDA (Singapore), SamKnows is working with governments, industry leaders and academics worldwide to create a methodology and test platform that measures every aspect of broadband and network performance. For further information about SamKnows, please visit www.samknows.com

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.

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.

Racheal Neish
SamKnows
[phone]
[email protected]

Carly Suppa-Clark
Rogers Communications
416-935-6550
[email protected]