Main wireless carriers lost subs in Q1: CWTA

Wireless subscribers declined during the first quarter among Canada's publicly traded carriers, according a compilation posted on the website of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). According to the compilation, based on publicly released data, the carriers had 27.55 million wireless subscribers at the end of the first quarter, down 32,137 from the beginning of the year. CWTA spokeswoman Ashlee Smith called the drop a "minor dip" in an email and said it could be due to "a number of reasons," including some carriers shifting machine-to-machine (M2M) accounts out of their general subscription figures. The CWTA's figures showed prepaid subscribers declined 161,504 to 3.49 million, and postpaid subscriptions were up 85,276 to 22 million. These subcategories did not include figures from carriers that did not break out separate numbers for prepaid and postpaid customers, such as SaskTel, Wind Mobile, Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron and Telus Corp.-owned Public Mobile. Subscriber numbers from privately held carriers, such as Mobilicity and Eastlink, were not included at all. There were some discrepancies in the CWTA figures. A separate graphic from the main one said the quarterly decline in subscribers among the listed companies was 0.93 per cent, though numbers given indicated drop of 0.12 per cent. Also, the chart published at the end of the fourth quarter showed 2,000 more wireless subscribers than the most recent one indicates for that period. Also unclear was whether the numbers presented for BCE Inc.'s "Bell Wireless Affiliates" were intended to include subscribers from Bell Aliant Inc., which was not listed in the chart. The figure given for Bell subscribers was 7.76 million, down 15,678 for the quarter. However, BCE's first-quarter earnings press release said total wireless subscribers, including those from Bell Aliant, amounted to 7.91 million. The CWTA had not clarified these discrepancies by the time of publication.

Main wireless carriers lost subs in Q1: CWTA

Brief | June 26, 2014

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Main wireless carriers lost subs in Q1: CWTA

Brief | June 26, 2014

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