Rogers to expand advanced wireless networks to British Columbians with over $450 million investment

Wireless network to improve safety along highways, power local businesses and deliver the ultimate mobile video experiences to customers

VANCOUVER, June 12, 2014 /CNW/ - Rogers Communications, together with Premier Christy Clark, today announced a planned investment of over $450 million in British Columbia over the next three years to expand its wireless network in over 70 communities in the northeast, Interior, Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island. As part of this investment, Rogers will also enhance existing LTE connections with 700 MHz spectrum to allow customers to access the internet in even more places, including deep into buildings, elevators and basements. When complete, Rogers will have invested $2 billion in its network in B.C., including bringing the world's leading wireless network technology, LTE, to rural and urban customers across the province.

"We believe in the growth and future of B.C. and are investing in the province and local communities," said Phil Lind, vice chairman and executive vice president, regulatory, Rogers Communications. "Today's commitment to further enhance our network infrastructure will give British Columbians reliable and consistent access to the latest technology across the province."

"The majority of British Columbians use a smartphone at work, school, or at home - and demand is rising fast," said Premier Christy Clark. "This investment means more British Columbians, in more parts of the province, will have more and better wireless internet access, which will allow them to stay connected to news, opportunities, and each other."

The Rogers wireless network will give more British Columbians reliable access to emergency services across the province, including along highways and in remote communities. Mobile data terminals in ambulance, fire and police vehicles are powered by wireless networks and give first responders access to police databases, building blueprints and transmit vital signs on a critically injured patient directly to doctors so they can give more advanced treatment en route to hospital.

British Columbia's growing economy, which includes 385,900 small businesses, relies on network infrastructure to communicate, collaborate and compete¹. The network investment by Rogers will give local industry access to the latest technology and always-on wireless Internet to fuel growth and connections to business partners across the province and internationally. The northeast, which continues to lead the province in the number of self-employed British Columbians, is identified as a key region to benefit from the Rogers network expansion².

Rogers is also meeting consumer demand for data by deploying the latest wireless internet network technology to over ninety-eight per cent of B.C's population. Mobile video alone is expected to account for over two-thirds of the world's data traffic by 2018³. In British Columbia, over sixty-four per cent of residents own a smartphone and use it on average 1.7 hours per day to check email (77%), search online (69%) and stream video (33%)⁴.

British Columbians already benefit from Rogers LTE, Canada's fastest wireless network. These speeds mean people can watch videos on their phones with limited buffering or delays and nearly immediately access information and maps online. Rogers has already rolled out 700 MHz spectrum to communities in Vancouver, offering improved signal quality in basements, elevators and in buildings with thick concrete walls, and will continue to expand to other parts of the province.

For more information, visit rogers.com/LTE.

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.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, Risks and Assumptions

This release includes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws and assumptions concerning future wireless network investments.  We caution that all forward-looking information is inherently subject to change and uncertainty and that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information or could cause our current objectives, strategies and intentions to change, and many of these factors are beyond our control and current expectation or knowledge. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, our objectives, strategies or intentions change, or any other factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, our actual results and our plans could vary significantly from what we currently foresee. Accordingly, we warn investors to exercise caution when considering statements containing forward-looking information and that it would be unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights regarding our future results or plans. We are under no obligation (and we expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter any statements containing forward-looking information, the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. All of the forward-looking information in this earnings release is qualified by the cautionary statements herein.

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1} BC Stats. (2013). Small Business Profile 2013. Retrieved from http://www.resourcecentre.gov.bc.ca/pdf/SB_Profile_2013.pdf
² ibid
³ Cisco. (February 5, 2014). Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2013-2018. Retrieved from: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white_paper_c11-520862.html
⁴ Insights West. (2013, July). Smartphone Trends. Retrieved from http://www.insightswest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BCAMASEP_InsightsWest_iamota_SmartphonesForIamota_17Dec2012_updatedPUBLICVERSION_DM.pdf

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.

Jennifer Kett
Rogers Communications Inc.
[email protected]
416-935-2651