BCE’s total revenues of $4,803 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2006 increased 1% over the same period last year. Bell Canada’s revenues – $4,296 million – were up 0.9% from the same quarter last year, based on double- digit revenue growth from services such as wireless, video and high speed Internet and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) solutions.
Some highlights for the quarter:
- Wireless revenue growth of 11.2% to $857 million in the second quarter compared to $771 million in the second quarter of 2005.
- Post-paid ARPU of $63 per month, an increase of $2 compared to the same quarter in 2005, due to an improved mix of higher value subscribers as well as higher data revenues from services such as text messaging, mobile browsing, video streaming and gaming.
- 106,000 postpaid wireless activations were offset by the cancellation of inactive pre-paid subscribers, generating 90,000 net activations in the quarter.
- The total wireless subscriber base rose to 5,590,000 at the end of the second quarter.
- Bell’s video ARPU was up $4 year over year to $54, reflecting a move toward premium programming packages, higher pay-per-view subscriptions, price increases implemented over the past year and continued traction of the set-top box (STB) rental program.
- 19,000 new video subscribers — a decrease from the same period last year — bringing the total subscriber base up 10.2% year over year to 1,758,000 at the end of the second quarter.
- Video churn remains low at 1% per month.
- High-speed Internet susbscriptions were up 14.1% year over year to reach 2,313,000.
- Bell said that although net broadband additions in the quarter of 47,000 were down compared to the second quarter of 2005, subscriber growth picked up month by month
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