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Majority of Canadians are Turning to Technology to Stay Connected this Holiday Season

Dec 16, 2011

– Rogers makes it easy to send warm wishes and e-greetings from around
the globe –
– Canadians are making it a priority to remain virtually connected this
season –

TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2011 /CNW/ – Whether Canadians are abroad or near
home, they intend to keep the holiday spirit alive and stay virtually
connected with loved ones this season. According to a recent survey
conducted by Rogers Communications.1, up to 80 per cent of Canadians will use technology to stay in touch
with friends and family this time of year.

The survey found that almost half (48%) of Canadians will use their
mobile phones while travelling outside the country during the holidays,
and more than three-quarters (77%) of them will use their phones to
reach out to family and loved ones.  Staying connected to work isn’t a
priority for most of those travelling abroad, with only 10% planning to
stay in touch with the office.

“While at home or away this season, Canadians will keep connected to
friends and family by texting, social networking and calling, and we
want to make it easier for them,” said Raj Doshi, Vice President of
Mobile Product Management, Rogers Communications. “Our roaming options
give Canadians abroad the chance to send their holiday greetings to
loved ones more easily and affordably.”

Rogers has developed options to allow Canadians to take control of their
wireless plans and place more dollars back in their pockets to spend on
Holiday gifts and travel. Customers can choose from a wide selection of
affordable options, including day and week Roaming Data Passes
depending on their usage needs. Passes are available for both U.S. and
International destinations and can either be pre-purchased before
leaving Canada or purchased while roaming directly from a customer’s
mobile device.

Spreading Holiday Cheer

Whether travelling or staying at home, more than half of Canadians (60%)
will spread holiday cheer by phone calls, a third (36%) with messages
via social networks, another third (34%) will send e-cards (34%), 27%
SMS/MMS and 11% instant messages, and not surprisingly, less than half
(47%) will stick to the traditional route of sending a physical holiday
card this season.

“Texting isn’t just for teens, it’s become more widely adopted and has
evolved into another meaningful way for people to connect, especially
over distances,” said Doshi. “Of those Canadians travelling this
season, the majority of them are heading to the U.S. and with plans
like the unlimited U.S. roaming text messaging pass for only $10 for 48
hours, texting over the border is easy and affordable.”

Digitally Ringing in the New Year

Considering their digital holiday habits, it’s clear that Canadians
won’t be logging off of sites like Facebook and Twitter when counting
down to the New Year. From festive dinners to New Year’s Eve parties,
Canadians will continue to type away and keep their pals in the know
with online updates and mobile messaging.

According to the survey, up to 80 per cent of Canadians will turn to
their phones and computers to send well wishes for the New Year.

The survey revealed that in the first minutes of New Year’s Day:

  • 33% of Canadians will place a phone call to wish friends all the best
    for 2012;
  • 18% will post a message on a social networking site like Twitter or
    Facebook;
  • 17% will send an SMS/MMS;
  • 11% will send an email;
  • 3% will use Instant Messaging; while
  • only 16% of Canadians will wait until they are face-to-face to share
    well wishes.

Please visit www.rogers.com/roaming for information on Roaming Data Passes, Travel Packs and pricing
options.

About Rogers Communications Inc.:
Rogers is a diversified public Canadian communications and media
company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data
communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable
television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through Rogers
Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised
shopping, magazines and trade publications, and sports entertainment.
We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and
RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further
information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit www.rogers.com.

[1]About the Survey
From November 23rd to November 24th, 2011, an online survey was
conducted among a sample of 1,004 Canadian adults 18 years plus, who
are Angus Reid Forum panel members.  The Angus Reid Forum is owned and
operated by Vision Critical. Individuals were sampled according to
Census data to be representative of the Canadian national adult
population. The full dataset has been statistically weighted according
to the most current gender, age, region, education (and in Quebec,
language) Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire
adult population of Canada. The margin of error is ±3.1%, 19 times out
of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.