Big telcos ready to face new competitors

Article Excerpt

Canada’s big telephone companies have faced strong competition from cable companies for years. This experience will help them deal with three new entrants in the wireless field. One of these new competitors, Wind Mobile, is already operating. Two more, Mobilicity and Public Mobile, should launch later this year. Meanwhile, all four major phone companies are using their steady cash flows to expand and improve their wireless and high-speed Internet networks. That will fuel their long-term growth, and let them keep paying or raise their current dividends. BCE INC. $29 (Toronto symbol BCE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 767.2 million; Market cap: $22.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 6.0%; SI Rating: Above Average) provides telephone and Internet services in Ontario and Quebec. It also sells wireless and satellite TV services across Canada. BCE is starting to see the benefits of a restructuring plan that it began in July 2008. Under the plan, the company cut jobs, relocated employees and sold extra…