Rogers 2012 Annual Report Download - page 34

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
• Our Board of Directors is aligned with and supportive of our
strategic plans. The Board oversees the systems and controls that
we have put in place to help realize our strategic plans and the
safeguarding of our assets.
Progress against Our Strategy and Scorecard in 2012
In 2012, we made significant progress against each of our strategic
objectives across all business divisions.
1. Deliver Differentiated End-to-End Customer Experiences
In Wireless, we continued to offer the largest selection of LTE devices
in Canada, putting the industry’s newest and fastest technology into
the hands of our customers. In addition to offering the latest in
iPhone, Android and BlackBerry products, our relationship with
Microsoft for Windows 8 in Canada allowed us to offer consumers
and businesses an exclusive selection of Windows 8 Phone devices and
the first Windows 8 tablet.
Wireless launched another industry first, Rogers One Number, an IP-
based service that allows Canadians to extend their Rogers Wireless
phone number to their computer, tablet and home phone. Available
exclusively to Rogers Wireless customers, this unique service lets
customers text, talk and video chat with other Rogers One Number
users, all using their wireless number. This seamless, easy-to-use
solution simplifies how Canadians connect with family and friends
from anywhere they find convenient.
Rogers and Wavefront opened the doors to a new Rogers Wireless
Innovation Centre in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The Centre
fosters excellence in wireless commercialization by helping developers
get to market faster with innovative applications for connected
devices. By working with Canadian wireless application developers,
Rogers is able to provide new tools to enable rapid delivery of next
generation connected devices. The Centre also serves as a learning
facility, where business customers and developers can discover and
experience the latest M2M technology and enterprise mobility
applications.
With Wireless’ launch of the Rogers Anyplace TV Mobile app,
subscribers have access to a wide range of video content on their
Rogers smartphone or tablet, including CityNews, Blue Jays baseball
games and children’s content.
Cable unveiled NextBox 2.0, a suite of new features and upgraded
set-top box capabilities for the Rogers’ home television entertainment
experience that gives customers control over where, when and how
they view their favourite live and recorded programming. NextBox 2.0
provides customers with a significantly enhanced interactive program
guide and search functionality, access to whole home PVR capabilities
that allow people to access live and recorded TV programs from any
room in the home, and the ability to experience live TV streamed to a
tablet anywhere in the home.
Cable enhanced its online video offering, Rogers Anyplace TV,
bringing even more sports, movies and episodic streamed
programming to customers on their computer, smartphone or tablet
wherever they are.
Cable announced the availability of Session Initiated Protocol (“SIP”)
Trunking, a new IP-based voice solution for enterprises designed to
complement our fibre-based Internet and WAN connectivity services.
By merging voice services with a business data network, SIP Trunking
solutions dynamically allocate bandwidth as needed to support voice
and/or data needs depending upon capacity requirements during
peak hours, and also provide a platform for next generation IP-based
video, mobile and productivity applications and services.
Further supporting Rogers’ commitment to the “TV everywhere”
multi-screen video viewing experience, Media delivered an exclusive
multi-screen soccer experience through Rogers Anyplace TV and
Sportsnet World, and launched Canada’s first over-the-top sports
subscription service “Sportsnet World Online”.
Media developed applications to allow Toronto Raptors fans to watch
live regular season games from Sportsnet on their computers or
smartphones.
Media announced the acquisition of theScore Television Network and
related television assets. theScore is a national specialty TV service
that provides sports news, information, highlights and live event
programming and is Canada’s third-largest specialty sports channel
with 6.6 million television subscribers. The acquisition builds on
Rogers’ rich history in sports broadcasting and reinforces our
commitment to delivering premium sports content to audiences on
their platform of choice. Media expects to take control of theScore
following final regulatory approval from the Canadian Radio-
television and Telecommunications Commission (“CRTC”), anticipated
in the first half of 2013, and the network will be rebranded under the
Sportsnet umbrella.
Rogers completed a 37.5% investment in MLSE, advancing our
strategy of delivering highly sought-after sports content while
strengthening the value of our Sportsnet brand.
2. Maintain Industry-Leading Networks
In Wireless, we have embarked on a strategic network transformation
to create an infrastructure that enables all IP services and accordingly,
we continue to upgrade our network to LTE technology. LTE is a next
generation wireless technology that enables unparalleled
connectivity, capable of speeds that are about four times faster than
HSPA+ with peak download rates of up to 150 Mbps.
Cable demonstrated Rogers’ commitment to bringing leading Internet
experiences to Canadians by leveraging our DOCSIS 3.0 technology to
increase speeds across all Rogers Hi-Speed Internet service tiers,
including doubling our Ultimate tier up to 150 Mbps.
3. Expand Our Services Reach
We expanded Canada’s first wireless 4G LTE network to cover
approximately 60% of the Canadian population, complemented by
the largest selection of LTE devices of any carrier in Canada.
We announced plans to deploy enterprise mobile applications that
leverage the SAP mobile platform. This exclusive new offering will
help simplify the way organizations mobilize their workforce by
helping employees gain real-time access to enterprise mobile
applications on tablets and smartphones that are traditionally used
on desktop computers.
Following its acquisition of Saskatchewan Communications Network,
Rogers Media launched “City Saskatchewan”. This marked another
step in City television’s recent geographic expansion towards a
national footprint. With the regulatory approval of Media’s
acquisition of CJNT-TV Montreal (“Metro 14 Montreal”), City has
expanded further into the key Quebec market. Media also announced
that City and Jim Pattison Broadcast Group signed long-term affiliate
agreements that will deliver City programming to audiences on all
three of Pattison’s television stations in western Canada. With these
acquisitions and agreements, City’s reach will increase by more than
20% to over 80% of Canadian households.
Rogers Media launched another industry first with Sportsnews, a
channel available to Rogers digital cable customers at no additional
charge that promotes sports services and content available on Rogers
Cable. Sportsnews helps customers get more from their sports
programming while providing sports related scores, statistics and
breaking news.
30 ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. 2012 ANNUAL REPORT