Financial reports

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements relating to BCE’s 2025 guidance (including revenue, adjusted EBITDA, capital intensity, adjusted EPS, free cash flow and annualized common dividend per share), which are contained on this Webpage, are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the ‘safe harbour’ provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that our business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities may not be achieved. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained on this Webpage describe our expectations as of February 6, 2025 and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained on this Webpage, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We regularly consider potential acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, business combinations, investments, monetizations, joint ventures and other transactions, some of which may be significant. Except as otherwise indicated by us, forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any such transactions or of special items that may be announced or that may occur after February 6, 2025. The financial impact of these transactions and special items can be complex and depends on the facts particular to each of them. We therefore cannot describe the expected impact in a meaningful way or in the same way we present known risks affecting our business. Forward-looking statements are presented on this Webpage for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of our expected financial results. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Material Assumptions

A number of economic, market, operational and financial assumptions were made by BCE in preparing its forward-looking statements contained on this Webpage, including, but not limited to the following:

Canadian Economic Assumptions
Our forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions concerning the Canadian economy. These assumptions do not incorporate the imposition of wide-ranging U.S. tariffs on all imports from Canada and retaliatory tariffs by the Canadian government on a wide range of goods coming from the U.S. Given the fast-evolving situation and the high degree of uncertainty around the duration of a potential trade war, it is difficult to predict how the effects would flow through the economy. New tariffs could significantly affect the outlooks for economic growth, consumer spending, inflation and the Canadian dollar. In particular, we have assumed:

• Strengthening economic growth, given the Bank of Canada’s most recent estimated growth in Canadian gross domestic product of 1.8% in 2025, representing an increase from 1.3% in 2024
• Slower population growth because of government policies designed to slow immigration
• Growth in consumer spending supported by past decreases in interest rates
• Modest growth in business investment underpinned by past declines in interest rates
• Relatively stable level of consumer price index (CPI) inflation
• Ongoing labour market softness
• Interest rates expected to remain at or near current levels
• Canadian dollar expected to remain near current levels. Further movements may be impacted by the degree of strength of the U.S. dollar, interest rates and changes in commodity prices

Canadian Market Assumptions
Our forward-looking statements also reflect various Canadian market assumptions. In particular, we have made the following market assumptions:

• A higher level of wireline and wireless competition in consumer, business and wholesale markets
• Higher, but slowing, wireless industry penetration
• A shrinking data and voice connectivity market as business customers migrate to lower-priced telecommunications solutions or alternative over-the-top (OTT) competitors
• The Canadian traditional TV and radio advertising market is expected to be impacted by audience declines as the advertising market growth continues to shift towards digital
• Declines in broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) subscribers driven by increasing competition from the continued rollout of subscription video on demand (SVOD) streaming services together with further scaling of OTT aggregators

Assumptions Concerning our Bell CTS Segment
Our forward-looking statements are also based on the following internal operational assumptions with respect to our Bell CTS segment:

• Stable or slight decrease in our market share of national operators' wireless mobile phone net additions as we manage increased competitive intensity and promotional activity across all regions and market segments
• Ongoing expansion and deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) and 5G+ wireless networks, offering competitive coverage and quality
• Continued diversification of our distribution strategy with a focus on expanding direct-to-consumer (DTC) and online transactions
• Slightly declining mobile phone blended average revenue per user (ARPU) due to competitive pricing pressure
• Continuing business customer adoption of advanced 5G, 5G+ and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions
• Continued scaling of technology services from recent acquisitions made in the enterprise market through leveraging our sales channels with the acquired businesses’ technical expertise
• Improving wireless handset device availability in addition to stable device pricing and margins
• Moderating deployment of direct fibre to incremental homes and businesses within our wireline footprint
• Continued growth in retail Internet subscribers
• Increasing wireless and Internet-based technological substitution
• Continued focus on the consumer household and bundled service offers for mobility, Internet and content services
• Continued large business customer migration to Internet protocol (IP)-based systems
• Ongoing competitive repricing pressures in our business and wholesale markets
• Traditional high-margin product categories challenged by large global cloud and OTT providers of business voice and data solutions expanding into Canada with on-demand services
• Increasing customer adoption of OTT services resulting in downsizing of television (TV) packages and fewer consumers purchasing BDU subscriptions services
• Realization of cost savings related to operating efficiencies enabled by our direct fibre footprint, changes in consumer behaviour and product innovation, digital and AI adoption, product and service enhancements, expanding self-serve capabilities, new call centre and digital investments, other improvements to the customer service experience, management workforce reductions including attrition and retirements, and lower contracted rates from our suppliers
• No adverse material financial, operational or competitive consequences of changes in or implementation of regulations affecting our communication and technology services business

Assumptions Concerning our Bell Media Segment
Our forward-looking statements are also based on the following internal operational assumptions with respect to our Bell Media segment:

• Overall digital revenue expected to reflect scaling of Connected TV, DTC advertising and subscriber growth, as well as digital growth in our out-of-home (OOH) business contributing towards the advancement of our digital-first media strategy
• Leveraging of first-party data to improve targeting, advertisement delivery including personalized viewing experience and attribution
• Continued escalation of media content costs to secure quality content
• Continued scaling of Crave, TSN, TSN+ and RDS through expanded distribution, optimized content offering and user experience improvements
• Continued support in original French content with a focus on digital platforms such as Crave, Noovo.ca and iHeartRadio Canada, to better serve our French-language customers through a personalized digital experience
• Ability to successfully acquire and produce highly-rated programming and differentiated content
• Building and maintaining strategic supply arrangements for content across all screens and platforms
• No adverse material financial, operational or competitive consequences of changes in or implementation of regulations affecting our media business

Financial Assumptions Concerning BCE
Our forward-looking statements are also based on the following internal financial assumptions with respect to BCE for 2025:

• An estimated post-employment benefit plans service cost of approximately $205 million
• An estimated net return on post-employment benefit plans of approximately $100 million
• Depreciation and amortization expense of approximately $5,100 million to $5,150 million
• Interest expense of approximately $1,775 million to $1,825 million
• Interest paid of approximately $1,850 million to $1,900 million
• An average effective tax rate of approximately 17%
• Non-controlling interest of approximately $60 million
• Contributions to post-employment benefit plans of approximately $40 million
• Payments under other post-employment benefit plans of approximately $60 million
• Income taxes paid (net of refunds) of approximately $700 million to $800 million
• Weighted average number of BCE common shares outstanding of approximately 935 million
• An annualized common share dividend of $3.99 per share

Assumptions underlying expected continuing contribution holiday in 2025 in the majority of our pension plans
We have made the following principal assumptions underlying the expected continuing contribution holiday in 2025 in the majority of our pension plans:

• At the relevant time, our defined benefit (DB) pension plans will remain in funded positions with going concern surpluses and maintain solvency ratios that exceed the minimum legal requirements for a contribution holiday to be taken for applicable DB and defined contribution (DC) components
• No significant declines in our DB pension plans’ financial position due to declines in investment returns or interest rates
• No material experience losses from other events such as through litigation or changes in laws, regulations or actuarial standards

The foregoing assumptions, although considered reasonable by BCE on February 6, 2025, may prove to be inaccurate. Accordingly, our actual results could differ materially from our expectations as set forth on this Webpage.

Material Risks

Important risk factors that could cause our assumptions and estimates to be inaccurate and actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements, including our 2025 guidance, are listed below. The realization of our forward-looking statements, including our ability to meet our 2025 guidance targets, essentially depends on our business performance, which, in turn, is subject to many risks. Accordingly, readers are cautioned that any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: the negative effect of adverse economic conditions, including a potential trade war and potential recession, reductions in immigration levels, high housing support costs relative to income, and financial and capital market volatility, and the resulting negative impact on business and customer spending and the demand for our products and services; the negative effect of adverse conditions associated with geopolitical events; the intensity of competitive activity and the failure to effectively respond to evolving competitive dynamics; the level of technological substitution and the presence of alternative service providers contributing to disruptions and disintermediation in each of our business segments; changing customer behaviour and the expansion of cloud-based, over -the-top (OTT) and other alternative solutions; advertising market pressures from economic conditions, fragmentation and non-traditional/global digital services; rising content costs and challenges in our ability to acquire or develop key content; high Canadian Internet and smartphone penetration; regulatory initiatives, proceedings and decisions, government consultations and government positions that negatively affect us and influence our business including, without limitation, concerning mandatory access to networks, spectrum auctions, the imposition of consumer-related codes of conduct, approval of acquisitions, broadcast and spectrum licensing, foreign ownership requirements, privacy and cybersecurity obligations and control of copyright piracy; the inability to implement enhanced compliance frameworks and to comply with legal and regulatory obligations; unfavourable resolution of legal proceedings; the failure to evolve and transform our networks, systems and operations using next-generation technologies while lowering our cost structure, including the failure to transition from a traditional telecommunications company to a tech services and digital media company and meet customer expectations of product and service experience; the inability to drive a positive customer experience; the inability to protect our physical and non-physical assets from events such as information security attacks, unauthorized access or entry, fire and natural disasters; the failure to implement an effective security and data governance framework; the risk that we may need to incur significant capital expenditures to provide additional capacity and reduce network congestion; service interruptions or outages due to network failures or slowdowns; events affecting the functionality of, and our ability to protect, test, maintain, replace and upgrade, our networks, information technology (IT) systems, equipment and other facilities; the failure by other telecommunications carriers on which we rely to provide services to complete planned and sufficient testing, maintenance, replacement or upgrade of their networks, equipment and other facilities, which could disrupt our operations including through network or other infrastructure failures; the complexity of our operations and IT systems and the failure to implement, maintain or manage highly effective processes and IT systems; in-orbit and other operational risks to which the satellites used to provide our satellite TV services are subject; the failure to attract, develop and retain a diverse and talented team capable of furthering our strategic imperatives and high-tech transformation; the potential deterioration in employee morale and engagement resulting from staff reductions, cost reductions or reorganizations and the de-prioritization of transformation initiatives due to staff reductions, cost reductions or reorganizations; the failure to adequately manage health and safety concerns; labour disruptions and shortages; the inability to access adequate sources of capital and generate sufficient cash flows from operating activities to meet our cash requirements, fund capital expenditures and provide for planned growth; uncertainty as to whether our dividend payout policy will be maintained or achieved, or that the dividend on common shares will be maintained or dividends on any of BCE’s outstanding shares will be declared by BCE’s board of directors; the failure to reduce costs and adequately assess investment priorities, as well as unexpected increases in costs; the inability to manage various credit, liquidity and market risks; the failure to evolve practices to effectively monitor and control fraudulent activities; new or higher taxes due to new tax laws or changes thereto or in the interpretation thereof, and the inability to predict the outcome of government audits; the impact on our financial statements and estimates from a number of factors; pension obligation volatility and increased contributions to post-employment benefit plans; the expected timing and completion of the proposed disposition of Northwestel Inc. (Northwestel) are subject to closing conditions, termination rights and other risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the purchaser securing financing and the completion of confirmatory due diligence, which may affect its completion, terms or timing and, as such, there can be no assurance that the proposed disposition will occur, or that it will occur on the terms and conditions, or a the time, currently contemplated, or that the potential benefits expected to result from the proposed disposition will be realized; the expected timing and completion of the proposed disposition of BCE’s ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) and the planned access for Bell Media to content rights for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors for the next 20 years through a long-term agreement with Rogers Communications Inc. are subject to closing conditions, termination rights and other risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, relevant sports league and other customary approvals, which may affect its completion, terms or timing, and the intended use of proceeds by BCE from the proposed disposition may vary based on timing of closing of the disposition and other factors and, as such, there can be no assurance that the proposed disposition, the anticipated use of proceeds and the potential benefits expected to result from the proposed disposition will occur or be realized, or that they will occur or be realized on the terms and conditions, or at the time, currently contemplated; the expected timing and completion of the proposed acquisition of Northwest Fiber Holdco, LLC (doing business as Ziply Fiber (Ziply Fiber)) are subject to customary closing conditions, termination rights and other risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, relevant regulatory approvals, such as approval by the Federal Communications Commission and approvals by state Public Utilities Commissions, which may affect its completion, terms or timing and, as such, there can be no assurance that the proposed acquisition will occur, or that it will occur on the terms and conditions, or at the time, currently contemplated, or that the potential benefits expected to result from the proposed acquisition will be realized; reputational risks and the inability to meaningfully integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into our business strategy, operations and governance; the adverse impact of various internal and external factors on our ability to achieve our ESG targets including, without limitation, those related to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, supplier engagement and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; the failure to take appropriate actions to adapt to current and emerging environmental impacts, including climate change; the failure to develop and implement sufficient corporate governance practices; the inability to adequately manage social issues; health risks, including pandemics, epidemics and other health concerns, such as radio frequency emissions from wireless communications devices and equipment; our dependence on third-party suppliers, outsourcers and consultants to provide an uninterrupted supply of the products and services we need; the failure of our vendor selection, governance and oversight processes, including our management of supplier risk in the areas of security, data governance and responsible procurement; the quality of our products and services and the extent to which they may be subject to defects or fail to comply with applicable government regulations and standards.

We caution that the foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect our results. We encourage investors to also read BCE’s Safe Harbour Notice Concerning Forward-Looking Statements dated February 6, 2025, for additional information with respect to certain of these and other assumptions and risks, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities (available at sedarplus.ca) and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at SEC.gov). This document is also available at BCE.ca.