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Rogers Hires Independent Third Party to Conduct In-Home Testing of Customer Broadband Speeds

Testing to provide additional measurement as part of company’s
commitment to delivering World-Leading Internet Experiences

TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2012 /CNW/ – Rogers Communications announced today it
has signed an agreement with SamKnows Ltd., an independent world leader
in broadband performance testing, to conduct ongoing measurement of
broadband internet speed, based on customer data collected in the home.

“With Internet usage exploding, speed is more important than ever to the
customer experience,” said John Boynton, EVP and Chief Marketing
Officer, Rogers Communications. “We are committing to long-term in-home
testing as an additional quality measure to ensure customers are
getting world-leading Internet experiences.   We encourage other ISPs
to do the same.”

Rogers has invested more than $10 billion in network infrastructure.
Working with SamKnows, which has performed testing for international
regulators including the FCC in the U.S. and Ofcom in the U.K., Rogers
will have the ability to measure actual customers’ Hi Speed Internet
speeds on a consistent basis.   This testing is complementary to
existing testing the company conducts.

Using a custom hardware device called a Whitebox that simply plugs-in to
a customer’s existing internet connection, SamKnows will measure
Internet upload and download performance as well as other key
performance indicators such as latency.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to bring the proven SamKnows
methodology for measuring broadband speeds to Canada,” says Alex
Salter
, Chairman of SamKnows. “We will be testing the actual Internet
speeds Canadians experience in their homes.  We are pleased that Rogers
is the first Canadian ISP to commit to such a large home-based testing
program.”

Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives Rogers has
made to help customers be confident that they are getting world-leading
Internet experiences.   Earlier this year, Rogers engaged LeMay-Yates
to conduct research to help give a more accurate look at how Canada’s
actual broadband speeds stacked up on a global scale relative to
advertised speeds.  The report found Canada ranked within the top 10
countries internationally for fastest Internet speeds delivered.  In
addition, Rogers announced it would phase out its Internet Traffic
Management Policy, which was designed to manage peer-to-peer Internet
uploaded traffic. This phase out is on track to be completed by the end
of 2012. Most recently, Rogers announced that it is working towards
SysTrust Certification of its Hi-Speed Internet Data Meter Systems with
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). This certification process includes
evaluating the processes Rogers uses to measure customer Hi-Speed
Internet data usage.

About SamKnows

SamKnows has established itself as the leading authority on broadband
service availability and independent broadband performance testing.
Founded in 2008 and operating from London, United Kingdom, this
privately held and independent company continues to build out its
global measurement platform, creating a standard for broadband
performance measurement. As part of its work with the FCC (USA), Ofcom
(UK), the European Commission, Anatel (Brazil), and the IDA
(Singapore), SamKnows is working with governments, industry leaders and
academics worldwide to create a methodology and test platform that
measures every aspect of broadband and network performance. For further
information about SamKnows, please visit www.samknows.com

About Rogers Communications:

Rogers Communications is a diversified 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, sports entertainment, and
digital media. 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 rogers.com.

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.