The chief executive of Quebecor Inc. says his company’s focus on building trust with customers is helping attract those looking to switch from its competitors, as the carrier also scales up its network in new markets.
Quebecor boasted a record third quarter for cellular subscriptions, reporting it added 136,700 net mobile lines, up from 113,800 subscriber additions in the same period last year.
It said that was the largest quarterly increase in the number of subscriber connections since the company launched mobile service in 2010.
Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau said the carrier’s Videotron, Freedom and Fizz brands all contributed to that success, reflecting success of the company’s Canada‑wide expansion, organic growth in Quebec and having “chosen a different path” than its competitors when it comes to pricing.
“Contrary to our competitors, it is achieved without any price increase from our existing customers,” Péladeau told analysts Thursday during a conference call, adding that many Canadians “want to break free … from the feeling of being taken for granted.”
“That is exactly why every quarter more Canadians are choosing to make the switch,” he said.
Péladeau said Quebecor also had a leg up this past quarter, which marked the first full three-month period since the CRTC’s ban on activation, cancellation and modification fees took effect in June. While other large providers like Rogers and Bell said they took a hit from that lost revenue, he said it’s not something Quebecor’s telecom brands had to worry about since it avoided those types of charges in the first place.
The regulator’s move has been met with resistance from Bell, Rogers and Telus, which have each introduced fees that the CRTC said could violate the new ban. The CRTC is in the midst of a review and said that if it determines the companies have violated the rules, they could face monetary penalties of up to $10 million.
“Our competitors don’t help themselves. They have fights against the regulator, they go in court, they fight fees, the CRTC are going against them,” Péladeau said.
“Maybe they think that, ‘Yeah, we will lose some customers, but at the end of the day most of our customers will not be able to find out and they will pay.’ We’re not going to do this.”
Quebecor reported its third-quarter profit and revenue rose compared with a year ago, with net income totalling $302.6 million or $1.33 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result was up from a profit of $238.7 million or $1.03 per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Quebecor said it earned $1.32 per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of $1.05 per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue totalled $1.45 billion, up from $1.41 billion in the third quarter of 2025. Telecommunications revenue totalled $1.27 billion, up from $1.22 billion a year ago.
The company added 8,600 net internet subscriptions, which was down from 10,500 net adds during last year’s third quarter. Quebecor’s mobile telephone services revenue was $492.2 million, up 9.6 per cent year-over-year, while internet access services revenue grew three per cent to $320.4 million.
Part of Quebecor’s growth can be attributed to its push to attract new customers in Western Canada, said Péladeau. Freedom Mobile is continuing to expand its 5G networks in Alberta and British Columbia, along with Ontario, while in the meantime also growing its presence in those regions by offering service through the CRTC’s mobile virtual network operator framework.
Those rules allow telecoms to offer cellphone service through rival carriers’ networks, increasing competition by giving regional carriers a presence in areas they did not previously serve, with requirements to build their own networks there within seven years.
Quebecor said its monthly average mobile revenue per user was $36.08 in the quarter, up 2.9 per cent from a year earlier, mainly due to lower promotional discounts and customers transitioning to more expensive plans.
Meanwhile, Quebecor’s media revenue totalled $154.2 million, up from $152.1 million. Sports and entertainment revenue amounted to $64.5 million, down from $68.3 million in the same quarter last year.
Desjardins analyst Jerome Dubreuil also praised the company’s performance given that Canada’s slow population growth has been a drag on telecom providers’ ability to grow subscriptions. He said Quebecor is the only member of the Big 4 carriers with positive ARPU growth.
“Although the stock hit a fresh 52-week high yesterday, we expect a positive reaction from the name,” he said in a note.
“While (Quebecor) remains the most expensive stock in the Canadian telecom industry, we believe its growth profile and careful capital allocation justifies the premium.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:QBR.B)
