Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by kcowan »

nisser wrote:Who provides this ubiquitous wifi if not the telecoms? It's not free
Usually the retailer/restaurant. As for walking along the street or the mall, Boing or Shaw Cable.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by AltaRed »

kcowan wrote:
nisser wrote:Who provides this ubiquitous wifi if not the telecoms? It's not free
Usually the retailer/restaurant. As for walking along the street or the mall, Boing or Shaw Cable.
Which means the telecoms for the most part. Rogers has wireless and cable with Shaw joining that club. Telus and BCE has wireless and DSL. IOW, WiFi comes primarily from telecoms.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by westcoastfella »

ShawOpen is sprouting up all over Vancouver, its in most of the restaurants/bars/stores that I go to, and is available in lots of public places now. It has actually become a compelling reason for me to stay with Shaw (for the time being anyway), as the Telus offering is in its infancy here and not nearly as ubiquitous, it is great to be able to use your home internet account for wifi around town. I have rejected the weekly Telus offerings for me to switch based solely on this feature.

ShawOpen seems to be available in more and more places that used to provide their own wifi. I have a friend that owns a business that offers ShawOpen, she said if you're a Shaw customer, its nearly zero effort for you to host ShawOpen from your business. They will come in, and setup/manage all the equipment and networking for you. She even said that there was no additional charge on her bill. If its that easy, it would seem to be a no-brainer for any business owner.

I think Shaw (and Telus) are predominantly western Canada. Do BCE or Rogers offer these types of things in the east?
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by AltaRed »

Yes, ShawOpen is used extensively in western canada. Is usually the way I connect when out and about (other than proprietary ones some businesses still have).
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by nisser »

kcowan wrote:
nisser wrote:Who provides this ubiquitous wifi if not the telecoms? It's not free
Usually the retailer/restaurant. As for walking along the street or the mall, Boing or Shaw Cable.
Who provides the wifi to the retail?

I think you get where I am going with this.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by kcowan »

nisser wrote:
kcowan wrote:
nisser wrote:Who provides this ubiquitous wifi if not the telecoms? It's not free
Usually the retailer/restaurant. As for walking along the street or the mall, Boing or Shaw Cable.
Who provides the wifi to the retail?

I think you get where I am going with this.
In the west, it will be Telus and Bell. But that only means having to log in for any customer, including those of Belus. Advantage still goes to Shaw.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Thegipper »

I note that their has been a lot of downward pressure on Disney because of cord cutting. I would think that the cable TV industry in Canada might experience the same problem.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Hammerer »

nisser wrote:
Hammerer wrote:
nisser wrote:Canadians can "tire of the prices" all they want, but what exactly are their alternatives?
Ubiquitous wifi is putting a dent in the need for mobile data. As well as Google offline maps and content downloaders (go youtube-dl!)
Who provides this ubiquitious wifi if not the telecoms? It's not free
The point is, your home/work/retailer/restaurant pays substantially less per gb to their telecom than an individual pays per gb to their wireless telecom. Net effect: Less revenue to the telecoms, and the telecom expenditure to provide wifi is spread amongst more than just the Big 3.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by 2 yen »

Thegipper wrote:I note that their has been a lot of downward pressure on Disney because of cord cutting. I would think that the cable TV industry in Canada might experience the same problem.
The difference will be made up by higher fees for internet and cell phone plans - which is happening now. Pick and pay for existing cable customers will likely not bring huge savings as the basic charge will rise and individual channel prices will be high.

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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Anyone else surprised by today's announcement of the immediate departure of the CEO, Guy Laurence out as Rogers CEO, former Telus chief Joe Natale in - The Globe and Mail.
During an investor call Monday morning, Mr. Horn suggested the move was more about Mr. Natale being available – and Rogers taking the chance to lock him down now – as opposed to getting rid of Mr. Laurence.

“You should look at this as the opportunity to secure the services in due course of Joe Natale, and that’s a unique situation and that’s the one we moved on,” Mr. Horn said, responding to a question about whether Mr. Laurence’s term was cut short.
How do they reconcile this with:
But Mr. Natale, who left his post at Telus in the summer of 2015, is not eligible for the role immediately due to a non-compete arrangement and Rogers is unsure of exactly when he will be able to start.
Sounds like there is more to the story that what's being told to the investing community.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by brad911 »

I've taken it as either a.) he doesn't want to be here/there any more or b.) they don't want him there any more.

It could be that the board or him had differences of opinions and they're moving on without a whole lot of drama. It could be that he told them to F-off and its really nasty. You often never find out and the board isn't about to disclose due to legal risks. They have enough talent within that organization to be fine in the short-term and Natale is a great long-term choice assuming they known when his non-compete expires. That's something I've been trying to look into today, but for the moment no change to my position in Rogers.

Edit: Summer 2017 is the expiry: http://business.financialpost.com/fp-te ... mmediately
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Clearly the answer is "b) they don't want him there any more". From Rogers tried to get Telus to release Joseph Natale from his non-compete agreement, sources say | Financial Post
Laurence was dismissed Sunday due to festering clashes with the board and the Rogers family over his management style and decisions. “It just wasn’t working,” is what the stunned executive was told, according to sources familiar with the meeting between Laurence and Alan Horn, Rogers chairman and interim CEO.
From Goodbye, Guy: Why Rogers' visionary CEO failed - The Globe and Mail [$$$]
His sacking is proof that you can’t violate the two immutable rules of the Big Red Machine. One, don’t cross the Rogers family. Two, you must produce results. Mr. Laurence did too much of the former and not enough of the latter, and that is why he’s gone.
The Financial Post article begins with
Rogers Communications Inc. reached out to Telus Corp. three times over the past several months to ask for the release of former executive Joseph Natale from his non-compete agreement so Rogers could hire him as CEO — but Telus isn’t in a rush to negotiate, according to sources with knowledge of events.
and ends with
Rogers is still anticipating a legal injunction from Telus. Such a manoeuvre would require Telus to prove that by hiring Natale under these circumstances, Rogers damaged and injured the company and its shareholders.
My guess is Telus and Rogers have been talking quite a bit behind the scenes and now that things have gone public they'll negotiate a deal in due course that will benefit Telus.

As a shareholder in both Telus and Rogers, I hope they don't litigate and enrich the lawyers.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

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From http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... e32474525/
Sources close to the company say that Mr. Laurence’s undoing was his testy relationship with the children of Ted Rogers, and his blithe attempt to run the business as though it were a regular public company – and not one controlled by a sometimes-fractious family with a deep desire to protect the founder’s legacy.
I wonder exactly what that legacy is, and how much it interferes with shareholders interests... (I only own RCI through VCN, which has a much smaller telecommunication weighting than I imagined).

Too few sports acquisitions and statues built, and too much schmoozing with potential acquirers?
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Taggart »

There was an interesting video I watched last night regarding Rogers Communications with Andrew Willis the commentator. If you're a subscriber to Globeinvestor you can watch it there. Being a non-subscriber it was free last night but not this morning.

Anyhow, what he was basically saying was that Rogers should sell it's satellite businesses like the Blue Jays etc. and just concentrate on it's core business. Andrew noted that Rogers hasn't raised their dividend in over two years. Something I noticed myself, just a few weeks ago when I had to add to what I already owned in the telecom sector and decide between Rogers, BCE or Telus to get my investment. Rogers badly needed a cash infusion in the portfolio, but with no dividend increase and no sign of one, it wasn't going to get the money, at least not from me. My patience as an investor with any company can last for a few years but it's not infinite and that includes Rogers. If a company can't or won't reward me for taking a risk as an investor, then maybe not this year or next year, but at a time of my own choosing I'll just dump what I already own and look to invest any proceeds from the sale in another Canadian dividend growth stock with hopefully better future potential, although I never really know for sure until after the fact.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Bombshell announcement today, Rogers to Buy Shaw in $16 Billion Canadian Cable Deal - Bloomberg
Derek Decloet wrote:Rogers Communications Inc. agreed to buy rival Shaw Communications Inc. in a C$20 billion ($16 billion) deal that unites Canada’s two largest cable providers.

The C$40.50-per-share cash offer has the support of Shaw’s board, the companies said Monday. The proposal represents a 69% premium to Shaw’s most recent closing price
The Globe and Mail has a more extensive article Rogers seeks to buy Shaw for $20.4-billion in deal that would transform Canadian telecom market (For subscribers)
Andrew Willis wrote:Toronto-based Rogers is offering $40.50 per share for Shaw, a 69-per-cent premium to where the Calgary-based company’s stock recently traded. Rogers received an irrevocable commitment to the bid from the Shaw family, which holds 79 per cent of the votes at a business founded by cable entrepreneur JR Shaw, Brad Shaw’s father.
Cross-posted in Shaw Communications (Symbol-SJR.B).

As a Rogers shareholder and Shaw customer this will be interesting. I'm not sure I'm happy about it from either viewpoint.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Bylo Selhi »

We'll soon see how well RobberShaw can sell the deal to Ottawa, especially the CRTC and a government that claims to be committed to more competition and lower prices for consumers.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by ghariton »

Bylo Selhi wrote: 15 Mar 2021 07:53 We'll soon see how well RobberShaw can sell the deal to Ottawa, especially the CRTC and a government that claims to be committed to more competition and lower prices for consumers.
Actually, the Competition Bureau holds the hammer on this one. Here's an ungated article with some more details.

Last time I looked, mobile prices were much lower in regions with four competitors rather than three. Videotron in particular makes a big difference. (Perhaps that's why they keep getting slammed by the CRTC, in my view an anti-competitive body.)

While Freedom/Shaw has supplied lower priced services to many customers, they never built up the base to be really successful. Nevertheless, there are the seeds there of a successful competitive option. In my view, the real winners today are BCE and TELUS.

Of course, approval for this kind of merger may be subject to some requirement for divestiture. In my view, the best arrangement for consumers is to force Rogers to divest Shaw's mobile business in all locations where Rogers already has a significant market share. Videotron has been mentioned as a potential acquirer, but Videotron may not be able to finance that. In the alternative, I would like to see purchase by a foreign supplier, such as Verizon or T-Mobile.

Of course, the problem is that our Competition Bureau is not independent but reports to the Minister of Innovation and such, M. Champagne. I fear massive amounts of political intervention there. E.g. BCE's takeover of MTS a few years back.

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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

After a quick read of Rogers feud pits chairman against family amid $16-billion Shaw deal | Financial Post
Financial Post (actually Bloomberg) wrote:Rogers Communications Inc. Chairman Edward Rogers had a plan that would have seen as many as nine of 11 senior executives leave, but it was blocked by members of his own family who feared the move would create chaos just as the Canadian company tries to close a US$16-billion takeover.
Given the antics of the Rogers and Shaw families it seems these two companies are destined to find each other.

If/when they merge I can only imagine the additional family dynamics that will come into play. They probably should sell tickets :lol:

I've held Rogers for a number of years as the dividend stream pays for my cellphone plan, with some left over. I've been giving some very serious consideration to changing cellphone providers and dumping Rogers as I generally detest family controlled companies that have repeatedly shown they are run for the benefit of the family, not the shareholders.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by AltaRed »

I've been monitoring the gong show at Rogers as well (a long time shareholder with a low ACB). I now consider it a stock that should (will be) on the block at some point when I need more cash for toys but I would prefer to see some post-pandemic recovery on the sports end of the business first to boost stock price 10% or so first. Whether that will happen, or the Shaw/Rogers donnybrook will simply chase investors away, is the $64 question.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Hammerer »

Peculiar_Investor wrote: 14 Oct 2021 10:51 I've held Rogers for a number of years as the dividend stream pays for my cellphone plan, with some left over. I've been giving some very serious consideration to changing cellphone providers and dumping Rogers
Nothing wrong with owning a profitable business that provides poor customer service. If Rogers wanted to, it would offer deals to stockholders as good as it does to corporate clients (but it doesn't). I own bank stocks, but avoid banks like the plague and deal with credit unions where possible.

- Sent through my free.fr SIM in Toronto where I get 25gb of international roaming, US roaming, unlim nationwide calls/SMS/MMS and who knows what else for under CAD$30/month.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Eder »

I'm getting impatient with Rogers. While their rivals reward shareholders with consistent dividend increases, Rogers claimed to use cash to reduce debt. Instead they are setting money on fire buying Shaw. I too am looking to exit but not at current prices.
I'll put the proceeds toward Telus & BCE...they treat their owners better.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Hammerer wrote: 14 Oct 2021 19:51
Peculiar_Investor wrote: 14 Oct 2021 10:51 I've held Rogers for a number of years as the dividend stream pays for my cellphone plan, with some left over. I've been giving some very serious consideration to changing cellphone providers and dumping Rogers
Nothing wrong with owning a profitable business that provides poor customer service.
Agreed. But the Rogers family as controlling shareholders don't seem to care much for the rest of the shareholders as evidenced by the recent actions, i.e.
Peculiar_Investor wrote: 14 Oct 2021 10:51 After a quick read of Rogers feud pits chairman against family amid $16-billion Shaw deal | Financial Post
Financial Post (actually Bloomberg) wrote:Rogers Communications Inc. Chairman Edward Rogers had a plan that would have seen as many as nine of 11 senior executives leave, but it was blocked by members of his own family who feared the move would create chaos just as the Canadian company tries to close a US$16-billion takeover.
Dual class share structures where the controlling family holds an overweight voting interest relative to their economic interest should be mindful to treat all shareholders well, not act like it is their kingdom and their rules only.

If they don't, then I start seriously looking for other opportunities where the management team and board of directors act in the interest of all shareholders.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by Spudd »

Hammerer wrote: 14 Oct 2021 19:51 - Sent through my free.fr SIM in Toronto where I get 25gb of international roaming, US roaming, unlim nationwide calls/SMS/MMS and who knows what else for under CAD$30/month.
So how does this work? I'm intrigued. Do they sell to Canadians via mail or do you need to go to France to get the SIM? What network are you on in Canada?
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

Post by AltaRed »

Pocket dialing caused the CEO to learn of the Chairman's coup attempt. It doesn't get better than this. Oh wait...yes it does. The Chairman is now out.

This could be a script for an episode of Succession.
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Re: Rogers Communications (Symbol-RCI.B)

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