Montréal, May 26, 2011 – With the release of its financial results for the first quarter of 2011, Videotron has announced some exciting plans for the rest of the year – and its customers will be the first to benefit. With reliable and robust land and mobile networks, state-of-the-art handsets and tablets, new HD channels and the most advanced platforms, Videotron customers already enjoy a wide array of benefits in terms of products, services, technological developments and entertainment.
We know that the full range of telecommunications products and services that Videotron now offers or will soon be offering meets the growing needs of our customers because we are so close to them, said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Videotron. For example, the recent launch of our illico web and illico mobile services lets customers watch their favourite content on the platform of their choice, while saving money thanks to product bundling and one-stop shopping. This empowers Videotron customers and gives them a freedom of choice found nowhere else. In fact, it is thanks to our customers that Videotron was ranked the mobile carrier with the highest customer satisfaction rate in Eastern Canada. We owe this honour to our loyal customer base, and to our people.
MOBILITY
More customers for mobile services
As at March 31, 2011, the company boasted a total of 164,700 subscriber connections, including 143,600 connections to its new 4G network. Since the end of April, the residents of Saguenay–Lac Saint-Jean and several other municipalities across Québec have had access to the Company's mobile services.
Videotron took another major step this morning, expanding its mobile services to the Outaouais region. Outaouais residents will be among the first to be able to take advantage of the Unlimited Evenings and Weekends plan, including messaging, for $24.95 regardless of how many Videotron services the customer has.
First 4G device available today
This morning, Videotron announced that its customers can now obtain the first 4G phone in its line of handsets, the HTC PanacheTM. The AndroidTM 2.3-powered smartphone will please customers who want a cutting-edge device as well as those seeking high-speed mobile. 2011 has also been a good year for device launches, with the arrival of the popular Nexus S and the first tablet, the BlackBerry Playbook.
CABLE TV
More channels and more high definition (HD) for Digital TV customers
Videotron ended the first quarter of 2011 with 1,808,600 customers for its cable TV services, including 1,243,700 households and businesses that enjoy access to digital television and the benefits of illico TV.
Since the beginning of the year, Videotron has added a number of French- and English-language channels, in addition to expanding its line-up of HD channels to a total of 63 . For example, news buffs saw the launch of the Sun News Network (in standard and high definition) and CNN in HD, while movie lovers and fashionistas can enjoy Ciné pop in HD, Turner Classic Movies and the Mlle channel.
With the imminent launch of the new and improved illico TV universe, featuring innovations galore, customers will enjoy faster and more intuitive, customized and harmonized user interfaces. Videotron plans to offer the most advanced multi-screen television experience in Canada.
illico web
The constantly growing illico web platform has been part of the television and web landscape for nearly a year. More and more Videotron customers have made illico web part of their daily routine, thanks to its exclusive content and excellent image quality. All Videotron customers can access the over 5,000 titles (both free and paid content) available through the web portal.
INTERNET
Internet services in sync with users' needs
During the first quarter of 2011, Videotron had 1,267,100 customers for its cable Internet and high-speed mobile Internet services. During the quarter, Videotron began offering its first wireless router, fully supported and remotely managed entirely by the Company, in order to deliver an optimal web surfing experience. Videotron has also developed a tool to deliver notifications via email or text messaging to help customers make informed use of the Internet. Subscribers to Videotron Internet access service can sign up for notifications at the Customer Centre.
CABLE TELEPHONE
Cable telephone service reaches still more customers
As at March 31, 2011, Videotron's cable telephone service was the choice of 1,129,800 residential and business customers, an increase of 15,500 in the first quarter. With millions of landline telephone subscribers and a growing mobile community, Videotron's cable telephone customers now have more than 2.5 million people they can talk to free of charge.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, and Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its interactive Digital TV service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of March 31, 2011, Videotron was serving 1,808,600 cable television customers, including 1,243,700 subscribers to its digital service. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,267,100 subscribers to its cable and mobile services as of March 31, 2011. As of the same date, Videotron had 164,700 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,129,800 Québec households and organizations. For the sixth consecutive year, Videotron was named Québec's most respected telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a Léger Marketing survey.
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