rogers communications inc-b (RCI/B) Snapshot

Rogers Communications Inc. announced that it will bring Rogers LTE Max to customers in Manitoba through a province-wide network sharing agreement with MTS Inc. Starting June 17, 2013, Rogers will roll out LTE Max - a premium LTE network deployment that enables theoretical network speeds of up to 150 Mbps - to customers in Winnipeg, Brandon, Victoria Beach and Grand Beach. Rogers will continue to deploy LTE Max, expanding coverage to additional markets in 2013 with plans to reach more than 90% of Manitoba's population over the next five years. This agreement builds on the network sharing arrangement Rogers and MTS signed in 2009 that resulted in the joint deployment of a 4G HSPA+ wireless network covering 97% of Manitobans. Under this LTE network sharing arrangement, MTS and Rogers will share the costs of deploying and operating LTE technology in Manitoba. The agreement further enables MTS customers to roam on Rogers wireless network when travelling outside of Manitoba.

Rogers Communications axed its short-lived 24-hour CityNews Channel and slashed production in some areas of its OMNI Television operations. The changes impacted 62 fulltime employees in total - 23 at CityNews Channel and 39 at OMNI Television. Rogers reported that OMNI Television stations in Calgary and Edmonton will continue to operate but original content would not be produced from the Alberta locations. Rogers remains committed to ethnic programming, but adds that the changes were made due to the changing marketplace.

Videotron and Rogers announced an agreement to bring LTE to even more customers in the province of Québec and the Ottawa region. Under the 20-year agreement, the two companies will pool their efforts to quickly build out and operate a shared LTE wireless network, the most advanced wireless technology in the world. This network will deliver an optimal user experience for consumers and businesses in both key markets. This announcement builds on Rogers extensive LTE footprint across Canada, including Montreal, Ottawa and Québec City. The fast-paced rollout of LTE infrastructure will position the two companies to meet the steadily growing needs of consumers and businesses, ensuring many more can enjoy incredibly fast speeds, throughput and take advantage of the latest and greatest LTE enabled devices. Under this agreement, Videotron and Rogers will share the cost of deploying and operating a shared LTE network. This will deliver capital and operating savings, allowing both companies to reinvest in their customers and networks. Videotron and Rogers will maintain their business independence, including their product and service portfolios, billing systems and customer data. The network sharing agreement will leverage existing infrastructure in many of Quebec's urban and rural centers. The fast build-out of the LTE mobile network will further improve the quality of the customer experience and enable both carriers to better anticipate and respond to their customers' needs. In addition to increasing network performance, this agreement will expand mobile coverage more quickly in rural Québec, helping to reduce the urban-rural digital divide. In addition to the network sharing agreement, Videotron and Rogers have also come to an agreement regarding Videotron's unused AWS spectrum in the Greater Toronto Area. Videotron will have the option to transfer its Toronto spectrum license to Rogers, subject to regulatory approvals, beginning January 1, 2014 for a price of $180 million. As part of the overall agreement, Rogers and Videotron will each provide each other with services for which Rogers will receive $200 million and Videotron $93 million, payable over a period of 10 years.