BCE finds new growth in Fibe

Article Excerpt

BCE’s wireless revenue continues to grow steadily, rising 26.5% from $4.9 billion in 2010 to $6.2 billion in 2014. At the same time, wireline (land line) revenue has dropped from $10.7 billion to $10.0 billion. That’s because many traditional land line phone customers have switched to wireless. However, BCE’s Fibe Internet TV is now spurring new demand for its fibre optic land lines. This is a big growth market for the company. BCE INC. $54.15 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 841.9 million; Market cap: $45.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.8%; www.bce.ca) is Canada’s largest provider of telephone, Internet and wireless services. It also offers satellite and Internet TV across the country. In the three months ended March 31, 2015, BCE’s earnings per share rose 3.7%, to $0.84 from $0.81 a year earlier. Revenue increased 2.8%, to $5.2 billion from $5.1 billion. Revenue from wireless services (30% of the total) rose 9.7% as the company’s network upgrades continue…