Aug 2 (Reuters) - BCE Inc BCE.TO reported an 8 percent drop in quarterly profit on Thursday, hit by higher expenses as the Canadian telecom company invested heavily to upgrade its network and expand its customer base.
The Montreal-based company, popularly known as Bell, said net income attributable to its shareholders fell to C$704 million ($540.25 million), or 79 Canadian cents per share, in the second quarter, from C$765 million, or 85 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier.
BCE's operating revenue rose to C$5.79 billion from C$5.69 billion. = 1.3031 Canadian dollars)