Telus Corporation (TU) reported results for third-quarter 2009 with adjusted (excluding favorable tax related adjustments) earnings per ADS of 76 US cents (83 Canadian cents per share), missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 79 US cents. Adjusted earnings also declined from 86 US cents per ADS (89 Canadian cents per share) reported in the year-ago quarter.  Reported net income for the quarter registered C$280 million (US$209 million) or 87 Canadian cents a share (79 US cents per ADS), declining 2.1% year over year. Excluding the impact of tax-related adjustment of $14 million, net income declined 7% year over year. Telus remains challenged by the weakening Canadian economy, which is mostly affecting its wireline business.  The second largest Canadian telecom carrier reported revenues of C$2.4 billion (US$2.2 billion), down 1.6% year over year due to persistent decline in voice revenues. Consolidated EBITDA decreased 5.3% year over year ...

Telus Corp (TU), Canada’s second largest telecom carrier, has officially announced the launch date and pricing of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone (3G and 3GS). The company will commence selling the highly popular device on Nov 5, 2009. Moreover, Telus will also unveil its new HSPA (high speed packet access) based 3G wireless networks on the same day to support the iPhone launch.  Telus will sell iPhone 3G (8GB) for $99.99 with a 3-year contract and for $599.99 without any contract. The company has priced iPhone 3GS (16 GB) at $199.99 with a 3-year contract and $699.99 without contract. The 32 GB version of iPhone 3GS will be sold for $299.99 (with contract) and $799.99 (without contract).  Canada’s largest wireless carrier Rogers Communication (RCI) has been the sole distributor of iPhone in the country since July 2008, leveraging its GSM and HSPA wireless networks. However, the ...

Bell Canada , the subsidiary of incumbent Canadian telecom carrier BCE Inc (BCE), and Telus Corp (TU) have reportedly inked agreements with Apple Inc (AAPL) to market iPhone (3G and 3GS) in Canada in November 2009. This will effectively end the country’s largest wireless carrier Rogers Communication’s (RCI) exclusive distribution rights to the popular handset. Since July 2008, Rogers Communication has been the sole Canadian carrier to market iPhone in the country as the device is compatible with the company’s GSM and HSPA (high speed packet access) based wireless networks. In contrast, both Telus and Bell Canada currently operates CDMA based networks which does not support the revolutionary smartphone. Rogers continues to enjoy greater share of the Canadian wireless market driven by strong customer additions on a quarterly basis, given its iPhone advantage. Bell Canada and Telus remain behind in terms subscriber growth. ...

Bell Canada, the subsidiary of incumbent Canadian telecom carrier BCE Inc. (BCE), has reportedly accelerated the deployment process of its next-generation high-speed wireless network. The Canadian operator will begin commercial launch of the much anticipated 3G high speed packet access (“HSPA") network in November, ahead of the originally scheduled launch in February 2010.     The 3G HSPA network represents an upgrade to Bell Canada’s existing CDMA based wireless network and is set to emerge as the largest HSPA network in Canada . The company has collaborated with its Canadian peer Telus Corp. (TU) for sharing the expenditures (estimated to be US$1.05 billion) related to this advancement which will support a vast range of next-generation smartphones (including iPhone). Moreover, Bell Canada has signed a North American roaming agreement with AT&T (T).   Bell Canada is expediting the HSPA network launch as the company targets to leverage ...

Telus Corp (TU), Canada’s second largest telecom carrier, has reportedly acquired Black’s Photo Corporation (Black’s), a leading imaging and digital retailer in Canada , for C$28 million (US$26 million). For nearly 80 years, Black’s has been a premier distributor of cameras, accessories, albums and printing services that are complementary to Telus’ wireless offerings.  Telus’ wireless devices will feature in Black’s nationwide retail outlets, addressing the growing demand for mobile handsets embedded with high quality photo and video capability. Telus remains the industry leader in offering the broadest assortment of smartphones in Canada. Strong smartphone adoption and the associated increase in data service usage continue to catalyze wireless data revenue growth.  Telus contends with a weakening Canadian economy and domestic competition, which would intensify with the entry of new wireless players (including Globalive Communications and Quebecor Inc) in late 2009 and early 2010. The company continues to ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 28, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: BCE Inc (BCE), Palm Inc (PALM), Sprint Nextel (S), Telus (TU) and Rogers Communications (RCI).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Palm Pre Lands in Canada

Bell Canada, the wireless subsidiary of BCE Inc (BCE), is set to launch Palm Inc’s (PALM) Pre touch-screen smartphone today in Canada. The highly-anticipated smartphone will be available at Bell Mobility retail stores at a price of $199.95 on a three-year

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Bell Canada, the wireless subsidiary of BCE Inc (BCE), is set to launch Palm Inc’s (PALM) Pre touch-screen smartphone today in Canada. The highly-anticipated smartphone will be available at Bell Mobility retail stores at a price of $199.95 on a three-year service contract ($599.95 without contract). Palm Pre entered the US market in June 2009 on Sprint Nextel’s (S) network. Since its launch, the handset has generated strong market response with around 90,000 to 100,000 units sold in the first week. Bell Canada continues to experience decline in wireless revenue per user due to lower customer usage amid a weak economy and intense price war which forces customers to opt for cheaper price plans offered by competition. Additionally, wireless subscriber growth has slowed due to higher churn (customer switch) while the company’s major competitors Telus (TU) and Rogers Communications (RCI) continue to ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

Advanced Energy Industries Inc (AEIS) American Medical Systems Holdings Inc (AMMD) BCE Inc (BCE) Bemis Company Inc (BMS) BG Group Plc (BRGYY) California Pizza Kitchen Inc (CPKI) CarMax Inc (KMX) Carter's Inc (CRI) Casual Male Retail Group Inc (CMRG) Encore Capital Group Inc (ECPG) Huaneng Power International Inc (HNP) Ingram Micro Inc (IM) Isle of Capri Casinos (ISLE) Jefferies Group Inc (JEF) LTC Properties Inc (LTC) Luxottica Group SpA (LUX) ...

Telus kick-starts satellite TV services in Western CanadaTelus Corporation (TU) has officially launched its new satellite TV services in Alberta and British Columbia through a joint-venture with Bell Canada, a subsidiary of BCE Inc (BCE). In May 2009, the company entered into an agreement with BCE, which provided it the right to distribute Bell Canada's satellite TV services to customers in Western Canada under the Telus brand.With this launch, Telus has further enriched its entertainment portfolio that includes the digital TV ("Telus TV") service offered over the broadband Internet. Telus's satellite TV service effectively complements the Telus TV offering, which currently has more than 100,000 subscribers covering around 10% of households across Alberta and British Columbia. However, Telus remains significantly challenged by the weakening Canadian economy and ...

We have recently downgraded our recommendation for Telus Corp. (TU), the second-largest telecom service provider in Canada, to Hold.

This follows our assessment of the company's operating results for the first quarter of 2009, which were below our expectations. Top-line growth was restricted by intense wireless competition coupled with a weakening Canadian economy. Additionally, decline in fixed-line business accelerated in the most recent quarter with a reported loss of 51,000 access lines, down 31% from the year-ago quarter and 42% sequentially, reflecting continued residential-line losses.

Reduced consumer spending and usage have affected the company's wireless business in the last quarter as evidenced by nearly 6% annualized decline in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and 46% year-over-year decrease in new subscriber additions. The company has cut its revenue, EBITDA and earnings guidance for full-year 2009 to reflect the impact of the domestic economic downturn, which is expected to

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