The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that BCE posted a year-over-year drop in first-quarter profit as heightened industry competition drove down prices and increased customer turnover. The Globe's Alexandra Posadzki writes that the Montreal telco had $457-million in net earnings, down 42 per cent from a year earlier owing in part to severance costs relating to its most recent restructuring. BCE reduced its work force by 4,800 positions -- or 9 per cent -- in February, after slashing its head count by 1,300 positions the previous June. The profit amounted to 44 cents a share, down from 79 cents a year earlier. Mirko Bibic, BCE's chief executive officer, said during a conference call Thursday that the company was focused on "realigning costs to address near-term competitive and economic pressures, and effectively balancing growth with profitability in a highly competitive marketplace." Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi called the wireless results "better than expected" but noted that average revenue per user declined 1 per cent year-over-year while postpaid wireless churn was "quite elevated," which he attributed to "significant promotions combined with a higher percentage of bring-your-own-device customers."