The COVID-19 pandemic has caused smartphone sales to drop, as most retail stores remain temporarily closed, says Rogers CEO Joe Natale.
According to The Canadian Press, Natale participated in a video chat conference hosted by TD Securities and shed some light on how Rogers is being affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Natale said new smartphone sales are down and most likely will not resume until customers are able to go back to stores and malls shutdown due to COVID-19.
Analysts wanted to know if telcos were seeing an increase in unpaid cellphone bills, as millions of Canadians are out of work due to quarantine measures. Natale answered bill payments were steady but may be impacted by ongoing unemployment.
According to the Rogers CEO, lately, customers have been inquiring about lowering their wireless bills and also flexible payment options.
Despite customers wanting to spend less on wireless, Natale said average revenue per user has still performed well during COVID-19, while the company has also spent less on subsidizing smartphone purchases, reducing its costs.
During COVID-19, Rogers said its team of 7,000 customer care agents have been working from home and the company has plans to increase its remote workforce.
