BCE's Weak Ziply Fiber Adds Weigh Despite Stable Canadian 3Q -- Market Talk

1400 ET - BCE's U.S. fiber business, Ziply, is becoming a weight on the company, which TD Cowen's Vince Valentini thinks could be grounds for a strategic review. BCE was broadly in-line with expectations for 3Q, but the U.S. fiber business was disappointing. He says in a report that "despite escalating capex for new fiber passings, plus $281M for BCE's portion of two acquisitions, subscriber and EBITDA results are falling short." Net additions came in at 4,000 versus his 7,000 estimate, with fiber additions decelerating an effective 33% despite more homes passed. Valentini notes that competition appears elevated "potentially from FWA [fixed wireless access], more aggressive cablecos or Starlink in suburban markets." (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 05, 2026 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT)