Videotron Establishes Roaming Agreement with Rogers

Canada's Videotron says that it has established a roaming agreement with Rogers Wireless, under which Videotron will roam exclusively on the Rogers network - within Rogers' wireless service area across Canada - to serve future wireless customers outside the Videotron coverage area, to guarantee a nationwide service.

The Quebec based cable firm had originally aimed to bid for a nationwide mobile license during the AWS radio spectrum auctions, but the soaring price of the radio spectrum pushed the company to focusing on its core markets.

Videotron has also agreed with Rogers to terms for transmission tower sharing arrangements for certain cellular sites within Quebec and the Ottawa region.

Last October, Videotron and Quebecor Media confirmed plans to invest $800 million to $1 billion over the next four years to develop their own wireless network. The new High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network should be up and running in 12 to 18 months. The projected expenditure includes the cost of acquiring spectrum and operating licences, building out the network and initial operating costs.

"This is great news for our customers and for us. At the same time, we appreciate the openness and collaborative spirit of Rogers with whom we hope to continue to develop a lasting business relationship," said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Videotron.

Posted to the site on 23rd July 2009