Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) reported a 4.1% year-on-year rise in group revenue to CAD5.590 billion (USD4.35 billion) in the quarter ended 31 March 2018. Service revenue grew 3.2% to CAD4.964 billion and product revenue increased 19.2% to CAD626 million, reflecting increases at both Bell Wireless and Bell Wireline (including favourable financial contributions from new Manitoban division Bell MTS, partly offset by a modest revenue decline at Bell Media). Q1 2018 net profit attributable to BCE shareholders grew 3.0% y-o-y to CAD661 million. Adjusted quarterly EBITDA grew 4.1% to CAD2.254 billion on increases of 6.9% at Bell Wireless and 3.1% at Bell Wireline, which included an incremental contribution from the MTS acquisition a year previously.
In January-March 2018 BCE reported 68,487 net new wireless post-paid subscribers and a decrease of 24,110 net wireless pre-paid customers; 19,647 net new fixed broadband customers; 13,573 net new IPTV customers and a decrease of 26,054 net satellite TV customers. Residential fixed voice line net losses totalled 57,533. BCE customer connections across wireless, internet, TV and residential fixed line totalled 19,072,421 at 31 March 2018, up 0.9% y-o-y, including 9,195,048 wireless customers (up 2.8% y-o-y, including 8,471,021 post-paid [up 4.0%]); 3,845,739 fixed broadband subscribers (up 3.5%); total TV subscribers of 2,834,418 (down by 1% overall, including 1,578,489 IPTV [up 7.7%]); and 3,197,216 residential fixed lines, down 6.0%.