Quebecor Media Bets Big On Mobile Phones

From Globe And Mail:

Spending more than $800-million to launch wireless network channelling content from print, broadcast and Internet operations

Quebecor Media Inc. plans to make mobile phones the heart of its communications business, spending more than $800-million to launch a wireless network in Quebec within the next 18 months.

Quebecor and subsidiary Vidéotron Télécom Ltée said they will channel material from their existing print, broadcast, Internet and music empires onto the mobile platform, and also make "a massive investment" to develop content for smart phones.

"Technology is one thing, and we are going to use the best, but at the end of the day the content will make the difference," Robert Dépatie, president and chief executive officer of Vidéotron said yesterday in an interview.

The company is developing new methods of advertising to accompany content on smart phones, he said. "We believe that the advertising model on the phone will be better than the one on the Internet."

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