BCE mobile phone activations in Q4 2026

BCE's Q4 2026 earnings are projected to decline year-over-year. The company's Q4 2026 earnings, spanning October through December 2026, are expected for release around February 11, 2027; this date remains unconfirmed as of November 7, 2026 ^[1][2][3]. Analyst consensus projects Q4 2026 EPS at C$0.42–0.43, down from C$0.49 in Q4 2025, with revenue forecast at approximately C$4.6 billion ^[4][5][1]. Barclays maintains a Hold rating on BCE, with a price target lowered to C$24 from C$25 on October 13, 2026 ^[4]. The Zacks Rank for BCE is #3 (Hold), and a Q3 2026 Earnings ESP of -0.68% suggests recent bearish analyst sentiment for earnings prospects ^[5][1]. BCE reported Q3 2026 EPS of C$0.50 against a consensus estimate of C$0.53, a 6.33% year-over-year miss ^[6][1].

Mobile subscriber growth slows as competitive pressures impact ARPU. BCE's Q3 2026 total mobile phone net subscriber activations were 53,689, a 21.1% year-over-year decrease, comprising 24,110 postpaid and 29,579 prepaid additions ^{[7][8][9][10]}. Year-to-date 2026 (January–September) total mobile net activations reached 116,370, down 28.1% from 161,901 in the same 2025 period ^{[7][8][9][10]}. In Q4 2025, BCE reported 56,124 postpaid mobile phone net activations, a 0.8% year-over-year decline from 56,550 in Q4 2024, alongside a net loss of 3,474 prepaid subscribers ^{[11][12][13][14]}. Full-year 2025 postpaid net activations were 102,584, down 51.9% year-over-year ^{[11][12][13][14]}. As of September 30, 2026, BCE's mobile phone subscriber base totaled 10,433,954, up 0.3% year-over-year, including 9,633,130 postpaid subscribers (up 1.1%) and 800,824 prepaid subscribers (down 8.3%) ^[7][8][9]. Mobile phone blended ARPU was $57.07 in Q3 2026, a 1.7% year-over-year decrease ^[7][8][9]. CEO Mirko Bibic stated that competitive pricing, particularly from Videotron, complicates achieving moderate ARPU growth by Q4 2026, with Canadian wireless prices down 49% since 2019 ^[15][4][16].

BCE's 2026 guidance projects declines, partially offset by a tower sale. Updated March 16, 2026, BCE's guidance for 2026 targets revenue growth of 1% to 5% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 0% to 4% ^{[17][11][18][14]}. Capital intensity is projected at approximately 20%, with adjusted EPS forecast to decline between (11%) and (5%) ^{[17][11][18][14]}. Free cash flow guidance is C$2,100 to C$2,300 million, alongside an annualized common dividend of C$1.75 per share ^{[17][11][18][14]}. BCE announced a C$2.45 billion deal to sell a 49.9% stake in a new wireless tower infrastructure company to La Caisse, intended to help achieve a net debt leverage ratio of 3.5x before 2028 ^[4]. As of the end of June 2026, Bell's net debt leverage was 3.7x with C$37.5 billion of debt ^[4]. The ex-dividend date for the next dividend payment is December 15, 2026 ^[6]. No specific prediction market data was found for BCE Q4 2026 mobile phone net subscriber activations ^[5][1].