Bell team stepping up to serve Canadians through COVID-19 situation

• Investment in enhanced network capacity and support for essential services
• Bell installation, service and repair teams are keeping our customers connected; select Bell stores remain open to provide urgent customer support
• Billing and usage relief for customers including Internet access, mobile roaming and free TV previews

MONTRÉAL, March 18, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - As Canada's core communications provider, Bell is focused on keeping our consumer, business and government customers connected and informed as the country responds collectively to the COVID-19 situation.

"As Canada works through the COVID-19 crisis, the Bell team is continuing to serve our customers and keep our country connected. I thank our team members in every region as we work to deliver for consumers, businesses, governments and health providers at this critical time," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada. "Bell is making the significant investments required to manage growing service volumes, while also waiving fees on key services and providing billing relief for customers facing difficulty as we all deal with this unprecedented situation."

Bell is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its impact on our operations, working with all levels of government, major business customers and key suppliers to adapt quickly as the situation evolves. We have taken a number of steps to ensure continuity of essential services, including enhanced capacity and redundancy for our wireless, wireline and broadcast media networks, ongoing special support for health care providers and first responders, and a commitment to delivering the latest news to Canadians at the local, regional and national levels.

Supporting our customers
Understanding the impact on Canadians across the country and worldwide, Bell is ready to support customers facing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 situation while also waiving certain usage charges and providing free access to a wide range of news, family and entertainment channels on Bell TV:

• To help Canadians working from home or in isolation we are waiving extra usage fees for residential Internet customers across our Bell brands until April 30. Fees will be waived automatically.
• For our wireless customers travelling abroad, Roam Better and pay per use roaming charges will be waived from today until April 30. Fees will be waived automatically. Bell is also working with the federal government and other carriers to support Canadians living or travelling abroad by sending them text messages about Canadian consular support and other useful information.
• Bell Media's TV and radio news operations across the country continue to deliver the latest updates on the COVID-19 situation to Canadians from a local, regional and national perspective. Bell TV has also made CTV News Channel, CP24 as well as other Canadian news services available as free previews for Bell Fibe TV, Alt TV and Bell Satellite TV customers. CTV News and CP24 are also available live at their web sites and on their apps.
• All Bell TV services are also offering free previews of a wide range of family, educational, lifestyle and entertainment channels throughout March and April.
• While we have closed most retail locations, select Bell stores remain open across the country to provide essential services to customers. These stores and their operating hours can be found on our store locator.
• To protect our customers and team, Bell has put in place enhanced safety and sanitation protocols at all Bell workplaces, at retail locations that remain open for emergency support and for our field service teams. These measures include limitations on the numbers of customers who can access our stores at any one time, and screening procedures for any installation or repair appointments.
• As service volumes increase, Bell encourages customers to take advantage of MyBell, the easy-to-use self-serve option available online or as a mobile app that enables you to manage most of your Bell services. Customers can also stay informed by visiting Bell's dedicated web page at Bell.ca/COVID-19-Update.

About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communication services throughout the country. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media. Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries:

Caroline Audet
514-391-9794
caroline.audet@bell.ca
@Bell_News

Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca

SOURCE Bell Canada