5G will power their post-COVID-19 rebound

Article Excerpt

BCE and Telus are high-quality firms with businesses well-prepared to withstand the COVID-19 slowdown. Longer term, the recent launch of their new ultrafast 5G wireless networks provides strong growth prospects and should boost their cash flow to pay for dividend increases. BCE INC. $56.27 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares o/s: 904.3 million; Market cap: $50.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 5.9%) is Canada’s largest traditional telephone service provider, with 2.54 million residential customers in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. It also has 3.66 million high-speed Internet users and 2.74 million TV subscribers. BCE also sells wireless services to 10.14 million users across Canada and owns TV and radio stations. Due to COVID-19, businesses are cutting their advertising spending. That is hurting revenue and profits at BCE’s media properties. Travel restrictions also continue to hurt the amount of wireless roaming fees it collects. As a result, revenue in the quarter ended September 30, 2020, fell 2.6%, to $5.79 billion from…