VANCOUVER, August 21, 2026, 04:45 PDT
- Repair work is ongoing following a possible fibre cut in the area of Bridgeport and Golden Village.
- Rogers gained 17,000 retail internet subscribers in the second quarter, a decrease of 35% compared to the previous year.
- The number of customers impacted and the total cost of service credits have not yet been confirmed.
A targeted internet outage in Richmond, British Columbia, has renewed scrutiny of network stability at Rogers Communications TSE:RCI.B. Internet Lightspeed reported that users in the Bridgeport and Golden Village areas could be experiencing issues because of a possible fibre cut, with restoration efforts ongoing. Rogers did not specify the number of impacted customers ahead of the Toronto market open.
The outage is less significant for its immediate direct cost and more for when it happened. Rogers’ June quarter saw 17,000 retail internet net additions, down from 26,000 a year before. The 34.6% drop means further service disruptions could put additional pressure on customer retention.
Scale is a double-edged sword. Rogers reported 4.521 million retail internet subscribers and 4.862 million cable customer relationships at the end of June. While a localized fibre outage might have little impact on overall earnings, a broader or long-lasting disruption would put subscriber churn and customer credits in focus.
| Outage indicator | Verified position at 04:45 PDT | Investor reading |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Bridgeport and Golden Village, Richmond | Limited impact, no confirmation of a nationwide outage |
| Cause | Possible fibre network break or cut | Physical repair remains a potential concern; cause assessment is early |
| Status | Repair work ongoing | Duration will drive near-term response |
| Affected accounts | No public disclosure | Not enough data for credible revenue or credit impact |
Rogers stock ended Thursday at C$50.14, slipping 0.61%, with the market yet to digest the most recent Richmond update. The action did not indicate an outage-related cause. Shares of Bell Canada’s parent, BCE (TSE:BCE), and Telus TSE:T moved little, while Quebecor (TSE:QBR.B) saw a steeper decline.
| Canadian telecom share | August 20 close | Daily move |
|---|---|---|
| Rogers TSE:RCI.B | C$50.14 | down 0.61% |
| BCE (TSE:BCE) | C$32.77 | up 0.18% |
| Telus TSE:T | C$13.81 | off 0.14% |
| Quebecor (TSE:QBR.B) | C$61.83 | fell 3.47% |
The cable segment reported robust cash flow ahead of the incident. Revenue from the cable unit in the second quarter increased 1% to C$1.984 billion. Adjusted EBITDA climbed 1%, and capital expenditures dropped 9% to C$367 million.
| Rogers Q2 cable metric | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | C$1.984bn | C$1.968bn | +1% |
| Adjusted EBITDA | C$1.158bn | C$1.147bn | +1% |
| Adjusted EBITDA margin | 58.4% | 58.3% | +0.1 point |
| Capital expenditure | C$367m | C$404m | -9% |
| Retail internet net additions | 17,000 | 26,000 | -34.6% |
| Customer ARPA | C$135.49 | C$135.74 | -0.2% |
Chief Executive Tony Staffieri said the quarter demonstrated “strong execution” along with growth in each of the three business segments. Free cash flow for the group increased by 6% to C$982 million. However, internet subscriber growth lost momentum, and average revenue per account for cable customers declined by C$0.25. Rogers earnings release
The environment for operations was already marked by competition. Rogers recorded 22,000 wireless postpaid net additions during the quarter, missing the 26,726 figure anticipated by analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha. Rogers shares declined around 2% following the release of these results, according to Reuters.
| Analyst rating | Total | Percentage of 18 ratings |
|---|---|---|
| Strong buy | 7 | 38.9% |
| Buy | 6 | 33.3% |
| Hold | 3 | 16.7% |
| Sell | 1 | 5.6% |
| Strong sell | 1 | 5.6% |
| Overall / mean price target | Buy / C$60.14 | 19.9% higher than C$50.14 |
Subscriber momentum is the most significant sensitivity. A shift of 1,000 customers represents 5.9% of Rogers’ internet gains in the second quarter. This is not to say the Richmond episode will result in a loss of 1,000 accounts. Rather, it highlights the importance of confirmed scope over online search trends.
Risks: The initial fibre-break assessment is not final and service may resume promptly if repairs succeed. However, if the issue spreads, downtime extends or outages recur, this could trigger credits, customer complaints, and regulatory scrutiny. Present disclosures do not allow for quantification.
Key factors for investors to monitor include how long restoration takes, the number of accounts impacted, and any updates to credit policy. Until these details are clear, the episode is seen as an operational alert, not something likely to impact earnings. Rogers continues to project service revenue will rise 3% to 5% by 2026 with free cash flow estimated at C$4.1 billion to C$4.3 billion.
The Toronto market begins trading at 09:30 EDT. If shares react little, it signals investors see the cut as isolated and limited in scope. If the stock trails BCE and Telus for an extended period, it may indicate that reliability worries are now being reflected in the price.
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