Cogeco to launch wireless services in Canada within ’coming quarters’

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MONTREAL — Cogeco Inc. says it is set to launch wireless services in Canada in the coming quarters after rolling out cellphone coverage to U.S. customers last year.

The Montreal-based telecommunications company says “all the building blocks” are now in place to offer wireless coverage across its broadband footprint in Ontario and Quebec.

In August, Cogeco inked deals with a national wireless network operator and Nova Scotia-based Eastlink as part of its plan to develop wireless service in Canada.

It says it plans to deliver coverage through a “capital-light model” relying on Canada’s mobile virtual network operator framework, which allow telecoms to offer cellphone service through rival carriers’ networks.

The latest update on its wireless launch plans comes as the company reports its first-quarter earnings, which includes a profit attributable to shareholders of $29.8 million, down 13.7 per cent from $34.5 million a year earlier.

Cogeco’s cable and internet subsidiary, Cogeco Communications Inc., says profit attributable to shareholders was $100.6 million, up 12.4 per cent from $89.5 million during the same quarter last year.