GRADUATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2015 EDITION

HOW BELL AND THE TELECOM INDUSTRY CONTINUE TO

THERE IS NO TIME LIKE THE FUTUREWRITTEN BY: RAY ABRAMSON

FLIPP: APP OF THE ISSUEWRITTEN BY: ERICA EDWARDS

RECRUITING 101WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN BOURNE

HOW DOES BLACKBERRY PLAN TO SURVIVEWRITTEN BY: IRIS WONG

BELL AND THE INTERNET OF THINGSWRITTEN BY: JOSH GLADSTONE

CROSSWORD PUZZLE OF THE ISSUE

WOMEN IN THE BELL WOKRPLACEWRITTEN BY: CATHERINE ARCHAMBAULT

CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLINGWRITTEN BY: VERA QI-LIN

CONTENT & CONTRIBUTORS

6

9

10

12

14

17

18

20

JOSH GLADSTONE

LEAD EDITOR

IRIS WONG

LEAD EDITOR

ERICA EDWARDS

LEAD DESIGNER

WHAT IS FULL SIGNAL?

CONTRIBUTORS

NOTE

FROM

TH

E EDI

TORS

FULL SIGNAL is a

newsletter published

by Grads in the Gradu-

ate Leadership Program.

We feature articles on

the telecom industry,

interesting stories, as

well as profiles of our

managers, directors,

and peers.

It’s sno’ joke—winter is in full

force! So go ahead. Make

yourself some hot chocolate

and warm up while reading

the great articles of Full Sig-

nal’s newest Winter issue.

With the help of our inaugu-

ral members Ray Abramson,

Catherine Archambault,

and Meghan Bourne, we’ve

brought you a timely edi-

tion that takes a comprehen-

sive look into some game-

changing telecommunication

trends! Keep reading for a

unique perspective on the re-

cent shift towards Over-The-

Top service, Bell’s relationship

with the Internet of Things,

and career advice for aspiring

women in Bell!

Wishing you a warm winter,

Josh, Iris and Erica

Want to get involved? Give us a

shout at FullSignal@bell.ca. We

look forward to hearing from you!

WINTER 2015 EDITION

GRADUATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM NEWSLETTER

4

We hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season with lots of rest,

family time and great food! We wanted to thank you for an amazing

2014. With your support, we were able to:

Our team is looking for-

ward to an even better

2015! Here are just a few

things to look forward to:

1.0s, 2.0s: More alumni

events.

3.0s: Final rotations, land-

ings and graduation!

4.0s: Leadership Sum-

mit, Offsites and being

involved with interviews

and recruitment for 6.0s.

5.0s: Onboarding and a

start to a great career.

We are constantly look-

ing for ways to make the

program better for you

and the grads to come. If

you have any recommen-

dations as to what you’d

like to see, please reach

out to us! We hope you

continue to stay involved

in the events hosted by

the program and re-

member that we are al-

ways available to support

you in any way possible.

Here’s to an awesome

New Year!

UPDATES FROM THE LDP TEAM

Welcome eleven 4.0s and twenty-one 4.1s on board.

Have the very first Grad Summer Internship Program which was

incredibly successful.

Welcome Patricia Melville and Tania Crump to the team full time.

Visit 18 schools in Ontario and Quebec for info sessions.

Receive the highest ever number of applicants apply to the GLP

intern and full-time programs (1,200+).

Hire 18 interns and 25 new 5.0 grads to join the program in

Montreal and Toronto.

Graduate 34 talented individuals from the GLP program

Had a record-breaking 90+ rotations and landing positions for 3.0/

3.1 cohort, including new opportunities such as within The Source.

Continue to have fun and inspiring events including: Offer Party,

Virgin Day, Bell Media Day, Grad Leadership Summit, Blue

Mountain Ski Trip, Leadership Thoughts, Offsites and Coffee

House (special thanks to Josh & Carli!).

5

NO TIME LIKETHE FUTURE

As most know, Canada has three major players who dominate the telecommunications industry: Bell

Canada, Telus, and Rogers. Each of the big three companies compete tooth and nail for Canadian tele-

communications supremacy, both in the wireless arena and, alongside other historic monopolies like

Shaw and Videotron, in the fight for the broadband home. They constantly create new strategies that

combine innovative technologies with legacy products and a ever-evolving back end. From the instal-

lation of new Fiber networks across Canada, to the rapidly-evolving era of digital video consumption,

the telecommunications industry is now in a state of flux with everything up for grabs. Not since the

eruption of demand for wireless technology in the late 1990s have we seen a level of transformation

similar to the one now underway. In many ways, the current transformation is the collision of that same

wireless eruption with the new possibilities of a converged Internet. As the needs and wants of con-

sumers continue to change with velocity, Canadian telecoms are undergoing a fundamental trend in

upgrading their product offerings with increasing momentum. This article takes a look at some of these

trends, and a projected outlook for Bell (TSE:BCE), Telus (TSE-T) and Rogers (TSE:RCI.B) going forward.

When observing the telecom industry in Canada, an oli-

gopolistic theme immediately comes to mind. For the

last 20 years, Bell, Rogers and Telus have been the most

dominant in the industry. However, there are many

other smaller companies competing for market share.

Players as diverse as Shaw, TekSavvy, Cogeco, TBayTel

in Thunder Bay and Quebecor’s Videotron, help to cre-

ate a densely populated telecom sector, both regionally

and nationally. In 2013, BCE had total revenue of just

over $20 billion. To put that into perspective, Rogers

came in at $12 billion and Telus at $11 billion. If you

add up the telecom-related revenues of

Shaw, Quebecor and Cogeco, they combine

for over $11 billion -- implying that the ‘Big

Three’ are not alone. The market is both

crowded and competitive.

THE ‘BIG THREE’

SHAW, QUEBECOR, COGECO

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW / COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

$20

Bill

ion

$12

Billi

on

$11

Billi

on

$11

Billi

on

WRITTEN BY: RAY ABRAMSON

6

While Netflix and Hulu

are the preeminent ser-

vices that originally de-

fined the OTT industry,

an increasing number of

competitors have slowly

started penetrating the

lucrative market. Com-

panies like HBO and CBS,

who have recently re-

leased their own stand-

alone streaming service,

signaled a new trend in

the telecommunication

industry: partially-decou-

pling specialty channels

from cable and offering

it as an OTT product. To

combat this trend, Rogers

and Bell have both cre-

ated their own product to

compete in the OTT space,

but as an add-on to cur-

rent services. Rogers, in

collaboration with Shaw,

has released ‘Shomi’—

a $9 per month unlim-

ited movie and television

streaming service that is

available only to existing

Rogers and Shaw custom-

ers. As of December 11th,

Bell partnered with Telus

to release ‘CraveTV’, a $4

per month service simi-

lar to Shomi, but with

a very different content

offering. The difference

between CraveTV and

Shomi is that the former

is tethered to a television

subscription with par-

ticipating providers (Bell,

Telus, Eastlink), while

the latter requires a cus-

tomer to have any Rogers

or Shaw line of business.

With these OTT prod-

ucts, two concerns/is-

sues must be addressed:

1. Can an OTT ser-

vice compete with

Netflix or Hulu while

only being available

to a telecom compa-

ny’s own customers?

2. What will happen to

existing customers if

they are no longer re-

quired to purchase con-

ventional TV products

in concert with the OTT

service? Will cannibal-

ization begin to occur?

The answer to the first

question is straightfor-

ward: to effectively com-

pete with other more

established OTT services,

Shomi and CraveTV must

be made available to the

masses. If they are not, it

will be extremely difficult

to gain market share from

new customers. To attract

‘Cord Nevers’ who have

never had conventional TV

service, traditional televi-

sion players need the buzz

that accompanies a whole-

market offering by mak-

ing the service available

to anyone. A second key

to success here is ensuring

a constantly-growing con-

tent database from which

to choose, as stale content

will lead to high churn

once consumption of the

available media is finished.

The second question is

more complex. While Bell

and Rogers will be fight-

ing an uphill battle to gain

market share in the OTT

sector, there is still a sil-

ver lining. Even if Shomi

and CraveTV are opened

non-exclusively to the

public—and resulting can-

nibalization occurs—both

companies will still see a

steady growth in what is

OVER-THE-TOP CONTENT (OTT)

7

quickly becoming the most integral line of busi-

ness: Internet. OTT services require more In-

ternet data, which in turn will lead to in-

creased revenue through new larger sized plans.

Another large change currently occurring in the

telecom space is a shift in the way providers charge

customers for hardware. AT&T in the US is now

offering Equipment Installation Plans (EIP) to cus-

tomers. An EIP basically boils down to giving a cus-

tomer a brand new hardware device, like an Apple

iPhone 6, for zero dollars today, but requiring them

to make payments over the duration of their plan

for the total value of the device. For example, an

Apple iPhone has a landed cost of $715, so over 24

months, a monthly payment of $29.79 is required.

This strategy directly increases wireless penetra-

tion, as customers are able to get the top mobile de-

vice they desire without having to shell out large

sums of money. In the EIP model, the effects on

ARPU must be considered, as no longer will there be

one total monthly payment required but, rather, two

separate line items: one for the EIP payment and the

other for the service. Currently the two are baked

into one final price. While this is a new strategy cur-

rently being introduced in the US, it will likely begin

to enter Canada in the near- to medium-term future.

It is tough to know exactly how the fi-

nancial markets will play out. But as-

suming a normal and consistent atmo-

sphere, Canadian telecoms should prosper.

It would be difficult and naïve to present

a projected target price for these three

telecoms; however, overall opinion ap-

pears to be on the upside for continued

growth. Despite fierce headwinds from

services such as OTT, domestic service pro-

viders are well-placed to compete as they

offer their own standalone OTT services,

helping to keep customers loyal while reap-

ing the benefits from the large increases

in data consumption. It seems only fitting

that in this rapidly evolving world of tele-

com, with an endless supply of innovation,

both consumers and market dwellers alike

are left with a lingering positive sentiment:

HARDWARE PRICING

FINAL THOUGHTS

Current Price on11/26/2014

YOY Growth

BCE Inc. (TSE: BCE)

Rogers (TSE:RCI.B)

Telus (TSE:T)

+13.73%

-1.99%

+14.83%

$52.92

$45.35

$42.73

THERE REALLY IS NO TIME

LIKE THE FUTURE.

MONTHLY BILL

=

DEVICE PAYMENT(1/24 of the phone)

+

SERVICE PAYMENT

Equipment Installation Plan

Model

8

Today, smartphone use

while shopping comes sec-

ond nature to consumers

- whether it’s snapping a

photo for a second opin-

ion or referencing a web-

site for product reviews

and price comparisons. For

all your shopping needs,

Flipp is your new go-to

tool. Flipp is an app that

will quite simply save you

both time and money by

reducing your time spent

trying to save money.

How? Flipp allows you to

select the retailers you are

most interested in and then

compiles their in-market

flyers into a digital feed.

You can then ‘clip’ items

from each flyer to your

shopping list by tapping,

for easy reference later

on. Bonus: You no longer

need to clog your mailbox

with physical flyers that

to access the deals. Bonus:

You no longer have to cut

out coupons and remem-

ber to take them with you.

Bonus: You can scan the

flyers where and when

you have the time to.

Whether you’re plan-

ning in advance or while

you’re already at the store,

Flipp makes it easy to find

deals and save on the go.

So, what retailers are in-

cluded in Flipp? The list

goes on and on, but a

few notable retailers are:

Best Buy, Future Shop,

Walmart, Loblaws, Shop-

per’s Drug Mart, Home

Depot, Hudson’s Bay, and

IKEA. With so many op-

tions available it could be-

come a daunting task to

look at all of the flyers, but

Flipp has made sure that

the app has several search

filters to keep it simple.

In addition to being able to

search by the flyer’s in mar-

ket dates, brand and creat-

ing a list of your favourites,

there is also the Discount

Slider tool. If you are look-

ing to get the most overall

value from your shopping

trip, the slider allows you

to filter through what items are marked down

by the largest percentage. This is perfect if you

are flexible to shopping in multiple locations,

different days of the week, and don’t mind a

bit of bargain hunting. However, if you typi-

cally are a one-stop shopper and don’t want

to venture too far for a deal (i.e. not a ‘cou-

pon-clipper’) and think your time spent find-

ing deals is more valuable than the savings

you would receive, Flipp can still help you

save money too. By using the app to search for

the specific item you’re interested in, you can

compare prices across all retailers for just the

one item. This can help you either last-minute

price match at the checkout counter or know

where to buy the item from in the first place.

Whatever your typical shopping trip may

look like and whatever the items are on

your list may be, I guarantee Flipp will save

you money without the hassle of trying to

save money. Flipp is a free app, available for

both Android and Apple operating systems.

APP OF THE ISSUEWRITTEN BY: ERICA EDWARDS

9

RECR

UITI

NG 10

1TI

PS A

ND TR

ICKS

TO N

AVIG

ATE T

HE O

THER

SIDE

OF T

HE TA

BLE

Preparation: Have 3 reasons why you chose Bell and the

telecom industry at the ready – these topics ease the

conversation onwards and help personalize the net-

working experience. Here are some examples:

The Telecom Industry:

“Telecom is a fast paced,

ever changing industry that

keeps you on your toes!

A quick read of the

morning news and you’ll

realize you need a work

around for the new

development that has

thrown a wrench in your

plans! I bet you can’t

say the same about

cereal or toothpaste...”

The Authenticity of Bell:

“A Canadian company

through and through –

unlike other US based com-

panies that recruit on cam-

pus, Bell organically creates

all of its products, services

and marketing material

specifically for Canadians

(you won’t see a reused

TV spot where the US

flag has been changed to

a Canadian one)”

In the business world, the end of fall coincides with the end of another season: recruiting season.

After countless hours spent at university information sessions, weeks of candidate evaluation,

and after many seemingly endless train rides, Bell is ready to welcome the 5.0 class into our GLP

family. Recruiting as a fresh new Bell employee much resembles the process endured as a univer-

sity student. Instead of selling your skills and attributes, you are selling a program, a process, and

above all, a company. The search for the right “fit” is still front and center. You are employing the

‘airplane test’ the same way you would have years prior. As Grads involved look back and reflect

on the past few months of candidate evaluation, this article will provide you with a few key tips

and tricks to employ during recruiting, especially now that you are on the other side of the table.

WHAT TO DO: AT THE INFORMATION SESSION

1/5

WR

ITT

EN

BY

: M

EG

HA

N B

OU

RN

E

10

WHAT TO DO: WHEN YOU’VE FOUND A GREAT CANDIDATE

WHAT TO DO: DURING BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS

WHAT TO DO: DURING THE OFFERS PHASE

WHAT TO DO: DURING CASE INTERVIEWS

The Great Candidate:

Let’s face it. We’ve all

had that moment of self-

reflection while talking

to a keen undergradu-

ate where the student’s

enthusiasm and ambition

reminds you exactly of...

you. So what is the best way

to guide these candidates

towards a career at Bell?

Strike a Balance:

Be sure to be friendly,

professional and inquisi-

tive during the in-person

interviews. As a young

Bell representative, can-

didates will relate to you.

Use that to your advan-

tage to make them feel

comfortable and at ease.

Seek the Well-Rounded:

Rotational programs re-

quire candidates with

both analytical and inter-

personal skills, and case

interviews are the perfect

medium that sheds insight

on both. Don’t be fooled

by the candidate who has

strong numeric ability but

an unfavourable person-

ality. And the same ap-

plies in the opposite—a

flashy smile does not make

a break-even analysis.

Remain Impartial:

Don’t get your heart set

on a candidate. Recruiting

is like dating –although

you have already pictured

the two of you in a pho-

to-strip from the Virgin

Mobile photo-booth, they

may choose to go steady

with another company.

What not to say:

“There will be a question about a time when you were

persistent and reached a goal.” That specificity is both

unethical and could potentially mislead the candidate.

Don’t Give Away the Answer:

Absolutely offer the candidate advice and preparation sug-

gestions; however, be wary of giving away the ‘answers’.

Subtle tips help orient the students in the right direction.

For example, you could say something along the lines of:

“Make sure to highlight both your leadership and

team work examples—that way, recruiters know you

can be both a leader and a collaborative team player.”

2/5

3/5 4/5 5/5

ALTHOUGH IT MAY

SEEM DAUNTING,

RECRUITING SEA-

SON IS AN INTEGRAL

ONE, BOTH FOR

BELL’S CULTURE

AND FOR OUR OWN

INTROSPECTION. IT

GIVES MEMBERS OF

THE GLP A CHANCE

TO REFLECT ON

THEIR DECISION

TO CHOOSE THE

TELECOMMUNICA-

TION INDUSTRY.

IT ALLOWS US

TO REMEMBER

THE AMAZING

QUALITIES OF THE

GLP. BY HELPING

RECRUIT THE NEXT

GENERATION OF

GRADS, WE ARE

ENSURING THAT

THE ENGAGING

AND STIMULATING

CULTURE THAT BELL

HAS DEVELOPED

WILL CONTINUE TO

GROW AND THRIVE

UNTIL NEXT YEAR!

THE BELL’S WILL RING

AGAIN

11

After years of dwindling demand, BlackBerry hopes to make a comeback following a dramatic

leadership change and launch of its newest model towards the tail-end of 2014. Will the combi-

nation of this ‘throwback’ device and bold new direction put them back on top of the competition?

Once the king of the

Smartphone market,

BlackBerry has long been

struggling to maintain its

presence with diminish-

ing sales of its products.

In a market with growing

demand for mobile touch-

screen technology, market

leaders have spent the

past few years evolving all

of its products, boasting

robust touch-screen inter-

faces and progressive soft-

ware designs. BlackBerry

was slow to follow suit,

pushing out less-than-

popular models such as

the Z30 that mimicked its

competitions’ touchscreen

interfaces. The original de-

sign and shape that Black-

Berry once profited from

had been abandoned in

the name of mobile evo-

lution. That is...until now.

Why? Because John Chen,

BlackBerry’s CEO as of

2013, is bringing ‘text-y’

back. That is, rather that

Chen is bringing back the

authentic look of the orig-

inal devices for consum-

ers who value a physical

keyboard. At the heart of

its mobile handset strat-

egy is the ‘Classic’ - the

company’s newest device

that boasts a vintage look

complemented by impres-

sive new features and an

updated OS. The device

comes fully loaded with

nostalgic accents such as

its top row comprised of 4

hot keys (nicknamed “the

belt”), mouse-like track

pad, and even its famous

‘Brick Breaker’ game.

BlackBerry is targeting its

oldest and most loyal us-

ers: customers who prefer

a handheld device stripped

of all entertainment fea-

tures and can be used

simply for work. This key

2015: HOW DOES BLACKBERRY PLAN TO SURVIVE?

WRITTEN BY: IRIS WONG

“CHEN IS

BRINGING

BACK THE

AUTHENTIC

LOOK OF THE

ORIGINAL

DEVICES

FOR

CONSUMERS

WHO VALUE

A PHYSICAL

KEYBOARD.”

12

demographic – which in-

cludes professionals such

as businesspeople and gov-

ernment officials - might

just have the potential to

shift the company’s pres-

ence in the mobile market.

If it can hit its conservative

target of 10 million de-

vices a year, the company

will breakeven. However,

if BlackBerry fails to meet

its objective even after

its drastic re-branding ef-

fort to recapture its most

faithful users, it will need

to reconsider its corporate

strategy in years to come.

But BlackBerry has some-

thing else up its sleeve.

Reinvigorating its mobile

game plan is not its only

focus for the year. As the

rise of “Internet of Things”

(IoT) comes to surface in

months to come, Black-

Berry hopes to profit from

this booming technological

phenomenon. As unveiled

at the beginning of 2014,

Chen hopes to leverage its

cloud-based company QNX

Software Systems into a

fully functioning IoT busi-

ness, dubbed Project Ion.

The project is designed to

harvest and interpret the

data of anything function-

ing off of the QNX soft-

ware, which includes virtu-

ally everything from cell

phones to vehicles to even

cows. But what does this

mean exactly? In a nutshell,

Project Ion gives BlackBerry

the opportunity to track

any item imaginable, scale

and store all tracked data

into a global cloud-based

bank, and then utilize it to

identify significant trends

between things. Ergo, the

“things” in IoT. Though a

newer and riskier invest-

ment, many would argue

that its strategy with IoT

will be the future of data

gathering. And that’s how

BlackBerry sees it too.

So the question is:

Only time will tell at this point. In

any case, after years of fiscal tur-

moil and uncertainty, Chen has man-

aged to sufficiently hedge BlackBerry

with its strong investments in a de-

vice of the past and a software of the

future. And that just might be enough

for its survival in 2015.

WILL BLACKBERRY EMERGE AS THE MOBILE INDUSTRY’S CHAMPION, PULLING IN NEW AND NOSTALGIC USERS ALIKE?

OR WILL ITS INVESTMENT IN PROJ-ECT ION BE THE TURNING POINT IN ITS FUTURE ?

THE TRADITIONAL AND THE FUTURE.

13

To answer the first ques-

tion, we should begin with

analysis of the second.

The Internet that we use

today is a connector of

people. With paradigm-

shifting websites such as

Facebook, Amazon, and

Netflix, this “Internet of

People” has connected

humans to one another,

to companies and or-

ganizations, and in a

meta way, to themselves.

So, what is the Internet of

Things? One way to look

at it is like the “Internet

of People’s” little brother;

it doesn’t connect people,

but rather—you guessed

it—it connects things. And

just like a little brother, it

can be annoying, frustrat-

ing, and it most definitely

requires a watchful eye.

Because soon, it might just

grow up to surpass the

legacy of its older brother.

For nearly two hundred years, our society has evolved by

building more and more things. Things like planes, trains,

or automobiles. Things like water pipes and electrical

transmission lines. Things like fibre-optic networks. Every-

where we look, we see things. In the world of IoT, these

are exactly the objects that we are seeking to connect.

BELL AND THE

WHAT ARE “THINGS”?

1. WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF ‘THINGS’?

2. HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM THE INTERNET THAT YOU AND I USE DAILY?

LET’S START OFF BY ADDRESSING THE TWO QUESTIONS ON YOUR MIND:

14

321Sensors – with the advent

of micro-eletromechanical

systems (MEMS), tiny sen-

sors can be placed on ob-

jects and products. These

sensors can deliver key

information on the things

they are attached to.

Now that we’ve gotten an accurate sense of what the Internet of Things is, lets shift focus to the im-

plications of its use. How will IoT impact our lives as both regular citizens and as consumers?

For citizens, the Internet of Things will drive simplicity by bridging the gap between our desire to

have, and actually having it. Let’s assume you are wearing a smart, connected watch that senses how

tense you are after a tiring day at work. On your way home, your watch sends this data to your audio

system, which interprets it accordingly. Understanding that the best music for aggravated moods is a

soft, calming melody, your audio system starts playing Smooth Jazz as you trudge into your apartment.

INTERNET OF THINGSHO

W D

OES

THE

IOT

CONN

ECT

THIN

GS?

IMPLICATIONS OF A WORLD WITH IoT

Here is an example to illustrate the Internet of Things. Imagine a cow in a large farm,

named Nelly, falls ill. Based on a micro-sensor attached to Nelly, data is transmitted

wirelessly to the mechanical herding system, informing it of Nelly’s increased

temperature. The herding system interprets this data to understand that Nelly is sick,

and effectively removes Nelly from the herd before she can infect other cows. Machines

talking to machines to deliver a swift, effective response.

Connection – wireless or

wired, the sensors that

collect data need a low cost

medium to transfer data to

other objects.

Smart Response – as one

object receives data from

another object, it needs

a way to analyze the in-

coming data and make

sense of it. Then, it must

make a good decision

based on what it finds.

AT ITS CORE, THE INTERNET OF THINGS IS MADE UP OF THREE COMPONENTS:

WRITTEN BY: JOSH GLADSTONE

15

We now know what the IoT is. We also know how it

could manifest itself in our not-too-distant future. So

how might this rapidly approaching idea affect Bell, and

more broadly, the telecommunication environment?

First, the Internet of Things relies on two technologies

that Bell specializes in: the Internet and Wireless com-

munications. For products to interact with one another

in your home, a customer will require both. This pres-

ents an opportunity for Bell to pursue partnerships

with companies competing in the IoT space. If Bell can

bundle its Internet package with IoT products, it could

open new opportunities for acquisitions and growth.

The second effect that

the IoT could have on

Bell comes in the form of

new product innovation.

The Internet that we

use today transfers huge

amounts of data at increas-

ingly faster speeds. That’s

exactly what you need

for streaming movies on

Netflix; however, small

things communicating

with one another require

a much simpler mode of

data transmission. This

type of reduced speed

and power communica-

tion network is called

LPWA – “Low Power,

Wide Area”. With such a

network, things can send

tiny bits of data to each

other cheaply, and with-

out consuming much pow-

er. If Bell can create a new

line of products that offer

such services to retailers,

the company could experi-

ence the kind of fast-paced

growth matched only by

the speed with which tech-

nology advances today.

For consumers, the Internet of Things will connect our demands with a companies’ ability to sup-

ply. Imagine sensors in a Supermarket track your footpath, honing in on the aisles you frequent the

most. During your subsequent visits, those sensors will send unique offers directly to your Smart-

phone. It could even provide suggestions of what you might like given your past purchasing history.

WHAT DOES IoT MEAN FOR BELL?

16

Blackberry’s newest mobile

device model

The idea that connects

things

over the Internet

Microelectromechanical

Systems - used for sensors

in the Internet of Things

Bell’s total revenue in 2014

was just over

The name of Blackberry’s

initiative looking at the

Internet of Things

Name of the game included

in the newest Blackberry

device

Emerging content distribu-

tion method, as provided

by companies such as Net-

flix

Blackberry’s current CEO

DOWN

Bell Media’s newly

launched streaming service

AT&T now offers this type of plan to customers

to help them with hardware payments (Hint:

also known as an Equipment Installation Plan)

Nickname for Canada’s top telecommunication

companies - Bell, Rogers and Telus

Rogers and Shaw’s Canada-only streaming service

The title of the Facebook COO’s best-selling book

Elaine ,Brand Director at Bell’s

Montreal office

Cost of CraveTv’s service per month Is $ .

What to do during behavioural interviews: Strike a

.

ACROSS

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CROSSWORD

17

I recently read an incredible book by

Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, called

“Lean In”. Having had an impressive

career at both Google and Facebook,

Sandberg paints a comprehensive picture of

the challenges women face in the business

world, and provides valuable advice

on how women can find their place and as-

sert their leadership. In total, Sandberg

outlines 11 distinct tips; however, this

article will focus on two of those themes

that I feel are the most pertinent.

To see how these nuggets of advice can be

applied to the great culture at Bell, I had the

chance to interview Elaine Bissonnette, a Brand

Director at the Montreal office—someone

who exemplifies being a strong woman in the

corporate world.

In December 2010, Sandberg presented a TED

TALK called, “Why We Have Too Few Women

Leaders”. The video perfectly describes the argu-

ment for taking your place at the table—‘table’

being an all inclusive term for meetings. In her

story, Sandberg depicts a situation where she

attended a meeting that did not have enough

chairs for all participants. Surprisingly, all the

men in the room presumed their seats, while the

women in the room stood during the entirety

of the conversation. When this happens, it of-

ten leads to those standing in the background

stifled and unable to express their ideas or con-

cerns. I told this story to Elaine, who had some

valuable insight:

1/2W

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ORKP

LACE

LEAN IN’S ADVICE #1: SIT AT THE TABLE

WR

ITT

EN

BY

: C

AT

HE

RIN

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RC

HA

MB

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18

an entire year for mater-

nity leave. It is sometimes

hard to let our employees

go because they are so

competent, but you always

find a solution. Women

should not be afraid to

take on all the challenges

that are presented to them

and maternity is a chal-

lenge. My best advice for

young women who want

to have kids is to simply do

what makes you happy. If

your family is your priority,

take action accordingly. If

it’s your job: no problem—

we’ll find you the perfect

challenges. However, don’t

forget that happiness of-

ten comes from finding

your own perfect balance.

Catherine:

Has there been a mo-

ment in your career where

you thought: ‘I should

really assert myself as

a leader amongst my male

colleagues?’

Catherine:

What do you think about

Sheryl’s point of view of

not ‘leaving’ before you

‘leave’? How do women

at Bell balance work

and family obligations?

We are very

fortunate to

work at a com-

pany with such

progressive at-

titudes towards

gender equal-

ity. As Elaine

Bissonnette so

clearly express-

es, Bell facili-

tates a culture

of comfort and

o p p o r t u n i t y

for both men

and women

alike. “Lean In”

was an inspir-

ing book that

would only

serve to em-

power women

further in an al-

ready empow-

ering work en-

vironment. My

advice to the

women at Bell

is this: laugh

lots, work hard,

and above

all, be the

strong woman

that you are!

Elaine:

To be honest, not real-

ly. We are lucky at Bell,

we have great leaders

who make sure to offer

equal opportunities for

all – regardless of gen-

der. Nevertheless, in my

field, in advertising, I

have noticed that men

tend to boldly express

their opinions, while

women seem to be more

reserved. I think it is

imperative for women

to have the confidence

to speak up and trust

their gut instincts. I be-

lieve that there are areas

where women are missed

in equal representation,

such as the Board of Di-

rectors. As mentioned

in many managing stud-

ies, women bring a dif-

ferent point of view

in such a setting, and

their presence should be

greater in proportion to

what we see nowadays.

Elaine:

I think Sheryl Sandberg

comes from a very par-

ticular environment at the

heart of some very unique

companies. In that kind

of workplace, I can un-

derstand that women in

leadership positions have

trouble leaving the job.

At Bell, our environment

is much more structured

and women have less fear

when it comes to taking

2/2

In her book, Sandberg sheds some valuable insight

on maternity leave. With the ambition of starting

a family, women often begin planning their ‘exit’ a

few years in advance. Occasionally, they will not ac-

cept a promotion or avoid changing roles for fear

of not being in position long enough to develop the

necessary skills to excel. Sandberg’s stance on this is

that women should not be so complacent; instead,

they should prove to the employers that they are

dedicated to the organization and ready to take on

new challenges, despite their maternity aspirations.

LEAN IN’S ADVICE #2: DON’T LEAVE BEFORE YOU LEAVE

19

Since its inception in the

1970s, HBO has grown its

value into the billions,

solidifying its position as

a best-in-class premium

cable network. Its busi-

ness model has long been

built on primarily earning

revenue from subscrip-

tions, while also licensing

out its programs to other

networks. The caveat, up

until recently, was that

the network would only

be available to those

already subscribed to a

television service.

In October, HBO an-

nounced that it will begin

offering a standalone

online service to its Amer-

ican base in 2015. Effec-

tively, this would provide

internet subscribers with-

out cable service access

to HBO’s previously inac-

cessible shows and mov-

ies. Despite the poten-

tial rift that such a move

could cause with its cable

partners, the opportunity

for broadband content

delivery was too entic-

ing to pass up. With ap-

proximately ten million

US households receiving

broadband-only service

and another eighty mil-

lion individuals not cur-

rently subscribed to HBO,

they chose now as the

CONSCIOUSUNCOUPLINGHBO’S NEW SERVICE SIGNALS A CHANGE IN HOW PREMIUM TV IS DELIVERED TO THE HOME

time to make their foray

into the internet land-

scape.

HBO’s choice to offer

their service Over-The-Top

(OTT) highlights a grow-

ing industry trend and

places increased pressure

on service providers to

consider how they price,

value and distribute their

range of products. How-

ever, the true implications

of this decision, especially

within the Canadian mar-

ket, may still be too early

to conclude. For instance,

how HBO will choose

to distribute their on-

line content is yet to be

WRITTEN BY: VERA QI-LIN

“HBO’s CHOICE TO OFFER THEIR SERVICE OVER-THE-TOP (OTT) HIGHLIGHTS A

GROWING INDUSTRY

TREND AND PLACES

INCREASED PRESSURE ON

SERVICE PROVIDERS TO

CONSIDER HOW THEY PRICE, VALUE AND DISTRIBUE

THEIR RANGE OF PRODUCTS.”

20

determined. The company

could work with existing

cable partners to mar-

ket the OTT service, they

could engage third par-

ties such as Apple TV or

Google’s Chromecast, or

they could even sell di-

rectly to consumers (simi-

lar to what Netflix does),

among other options.

In the wake of HBO’s

American announcement,

moves have also been

made in the Canadian

market to keep up with

the growing movement

towards OTT substitution.

In November, Rogers and

Shaw launched their joint

venture, Shomi, a Cana-

da-only streaming service

exclusively available to

their own customers. Fea-

turing over 12,000 hours

of content from various

networks, Shomi is priced

competitively against Net-

flix at $8.99 per month.

Quick on the heels of their competitors, Bell Media has

also launched a new streaming service, CraveTV, that

provides Canadians with access to online content. As

the right-holders to HBO in Canada, this means that

the service will include the plethora of HBO shows that

have made the network iconic. Ten percent of CraveTV’s

total library will be allocated to leveraging Bell’s exclu-

sive partnership with HBO in Canada, streaming all of its

off-air scripted shows, including: ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘Entou-

rage,’ ‘Sex And the City,’ ‘Six Feet Under,’ and ‘The Wire.’

In the words of Bell Media President Kevin Crull,

“CraveTV addresses a significant gap in the Canadian

TV system and allows TV providers to greatly enhance

the value they provide their clients.” The subscription

service—which is intended to complement existing ca-

ble services—will be made available to all Bell, TELUS,

and EastLink TV customers, through smartphone apps,

desktop computers and other digital platforms. As the

landscape for television programming provision contin-

ues to shift away from traditional mechanisms, it will

be interesting to see how this impacts players in the

Canadian market, and within that, Bell’s own business

model. Though whether or not HBO chooses to offer its

OTT services in Canada remains to be seen, consumers’

appetite and preference for content delivery is both

growing and changing. Ultimately, this predicates

only one key focus in mind for the major service

providers: how to deliver the best possible experience

for the customers in question.

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