Summary of Rogers Communications FY Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Rogers Communications (NYSE: RCI) - **Date of Conference**: September 25, 2025 Key Points Industry Insights - The Canadian wireless pricing environment is stabilizing, with flanker and fighter brand pricing increasing by double digits [2] - The market is competitive but more stable compared to previous years, with less heavy discounting observed [2] - Subscriber growth in the sector is projected to be around 3%, translating to nearly 1 million new customers [3] Customer Retention and Churn Management - Rogers is focusing on reducing churn, reporting improvements in churn rates compared to previous years [3] - Initiatives such as add-a-line promotions and bundling services (wireless and broadband) are being employed to enhance customer relationships and reduce churn [7][9] - The Rogers Bank credit card program is contributing to customer loyalty through discounts that exceed competitors' offerings [8] Wireline and Wireless Integration - The acquisition of Shaw has expanded Rogers' wireline market presence, allowing for coast-to-coast bundling of services [4] - Fixed wireless capabilities are being utilized effectively in regions where Rogers lacks a wireline footprint, particularly in Quebec and parts of Ontario [10] Financial Performance and Margins - Cable margins are currently at 58%, with expectations to reach 59% again, while wireless margins are around 64% to 66% [12] - The company is focused on driving growth in subscribers, revenues, and free cash flow while maintaining capital efficiency [12] MLSE Acquisition and Future Plans - Rogers has acquired a 75% stake in MLSE and is in discussions to buy out the remaining 25% stake held by a minority partner [15][17] - The integration of MLSE is expected to create significant cost and revenue synergies, particularly in live entertainment and sponsorship opportunities [20] - The combined value of MLSE and Rogers Sports & Media is estimated to be around CAD 20 billion, with potential for substantial growth [25] Leverage and Debt Management - Current leverage is approximately four times, with efforts to reduce it through capital deployment and asset sales [26] - The company aims to maintain a leverage ratio of around 3.9 to 4 times by year-end [28] Market Conditions and Asset Sales - The real estate market remains soft, and Rogers is not aggressively pursuing asset sales but is open to trimming surplus real estate holdings [30] - The focus remains on the MLSE transaction as the largest opportunity for capital monetization [30] Conclusion - Rogers Communications is strategically positioning itself in a stabilizing Canadian wireless market while focusing on customer retention, financial efficiency, and leveraging its recent acquisitions to drive future growth and profitability [2][3][12][25]

Group 1 - The core point of the article is that China Mobile Hong Kong has reached an agreement to acquire a 14.44% stake in Hong Kong Broadband from Twin Holding Ltd for approximately HKD 1.084 billion, making it the largest shareholder of Hong Kong Broadband [1] - Following the acquisition, China Mobile Hong Kong's shareholding will increase to 29.90%, while the remaining stake of the seller will drop to 1.02% [1] - Hong Kong Broadband is the second-largest fixed-line service provider in Hong Kong, with a market share of 36.6% in the internet service sector, second only to HKT [1] Group 2 - The acquisition will allow China Mobile Hong Kong to gain access to a comprehensive fixed-line infrastructure across Hong Kong, addressing its previous lack of self-owned fixed-line resources [1] - As of February 28, Hong Kong Broadband reported a revenue of HKD 5.734 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1%, while its net profit attributable to shareholders was HKD 108 million, reflecting a significant year-on-year increase of approximately 69 times [1] - The acquisition process began with an initial offer of HKD 5.23 per share announced on December 2, 2024 [2] Group 3 - In April 2025, China Mobile Hong Kong signed an agreement to acquire 15.46% of Hong Kong Broadband from TPG Wireman for HKD 1.196 billion [3] - The acquisition raised concerns from the Hong Kong Communications Authority regarding market competition, particularly in the fixed local access network sector [3] - To alleviate these concerns, China Mobile Hong Kong made commitments to the Communications Authority, which were accepted on August 1, 2025, allowing the acquisition to proceed [3]

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Overweight" rating for the telecommunications sector [6] Core Insights - The global telecommunications industry is experiencing steady demand growth, driven by emerging markets and increasing ARPU in regions like North America. AI is expected to bring transformative opportunities to the industry by enhancing operational efficiency and customer insights [1][4][12] Summary by Sections Global Telecommunications Development - The global telecommunications industry achieved a total revenue of 8.8 trillion RMB in 2024, with a year-on-year growth of 3.0%. The net profit attributable to shareholders was 834.2 billion RMB, reflecting a decline of 8.4% [12] - Revenue by region includes: Europe (2.2 trillion RMB, +4.9%), North America (2.4 trillion RMB, +2.7%), China (1.95 trillion RMB, +3.4%), Asia-Pacific (1.6 trillion RMB, -0.2%), Africa and Middle East (0.7 trillion RMB, +4.9%) [12] Market Observations - In North America and Europe, leading telecom operators are seeing steady user growth, while mobile penetration rates are high, resulting in low single-digit growth rates. In contrast, regions like India and Africa are experiencing rapid growth [2][17] - Fiber business is a significant growth driver, with AT&T's fiber revenue growing by 19% year-on-year in Q1 2025 [2] Profitability Trends - Profitability varies across regions, with Middle Eastern and North American operators showing strong profitability. The average ROE for major global telecom operators in 2024 was 15.66% [3][17] - Domestic operators in China have slightly lower ROE compared to the global average, but as 5G investments enter the recovery phase, profitability is expected to improve [3][17] AI Impact on the Industry - AI is transforming the telecommunications sector by reducing operational costs and enhancing customer service capabilities. For instance, Deutsche Telekom uses AI to monitor network performance and improve fiber deployment efficiency [4][22] - Companies like T-Mobile are leveraging AI to predict customer needs and enhance service offerings, improving customer satisfaction [4][22] Domestic Telecommunications Dynamics - In China, the telecommunications business revenue for the first five months of 2025 reached 748.8 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 1.4%. The average mobile internet access traffic per user reached a record high of 21.3 GB/month, up 14.9% year-on-year [5][57] - The three major operators in China are expanding their intelligent computing capabilities, with China Mobile achieving a computing power scale of 43 EFLOPS [5] Key Recommendations - The report recommends focusing on major Chinese telecom operators: China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, all rated as "Buy" or "Overweight" [9]