BELL WIRELESS OPERATING METRICS
(1) Our Q1 2018 blended ABPU was adjusted to exclude the unfavourable retroactive impact of the CRTC decision on wireless domestic wholesale roaming rates of $14 million.
(2) At the beginning of Q1 2019, we adjusted our wireless subscriber base to remove 167,929 subscribers (72,231 postpaid and 95,698 prepaid) as follows: (A) 65,798 subscribers (19,195 postpaid and 46,603 prepaid), due to the completion of the shutdown of the CDMA network on April 30, 2019, (B) 49,095 prepaid subscribers as a result of a change to our deactivation policy, mainly from 120 days for Bell/Virgin Mobile and 150 days for Lucky Mobile to 90 days, (C) 43,670 postpaid subscribers relating to IoT due to the further refinement of our subscriber definition as a result of technology evolution, and (D) 9,366 postpaid fixed wireless Internet subscribers which were transferred to our retail high-speed Internet subscriber base.
(3) At the beginning of Q4 2018, we adjusted our postpaid wireless subscriber base to remove 20,000 subscribers that we divested to Xplornet as a result of BCE’s acquisition of MTS in 2017.
Blended ABPU of $68.32 increased by 0.8% in 2019, compared to 2018, driven by: • A greater mix of customers subscribing to higher-value monthly plans including unlimited data plans • The flow-through of rate increases • The favourable impact from the subscriber base adjustments performed in Q1 2019
These factors were partly offset by: • Lower data and voice overages driven by increased customer adoption of monthly plans with higher data allotments and richer voice plans • Lower ABPU generated from our long-term mobile services contract with Shared Services Canada (SSC) • The dilutive impact from the continued growth in prepaid customers driven by Lucky Mobile, our low-cost prepaid mobile service
Total gross wireless activations increased by 8.3% in 2019, compared to last year, due to higher prepaid gross activations, offset in part by lower postpaid gross activations. • Postpaid gross activations decreased by 2.9% in 2019, compared to 2018, mainly due to fewer year-over-year customer additions from our contract with SSC as the migration process is essentially complete. Excluding the impact of the SSC contract, postpaid gross activations were higher year over year, driven by our mobile network quality, strong sales execution and focus on subscriber base management. • Prepaid gross activations increased by 61.9% in 2019, compared to last year, driven by the continued growth from Lucky Mobile along with the benefit from the national retail distribution of Lucky Mobile and Virgin Mobile prepaid services at Dollarama stores
Blended wireless churn of 1.39% increased by 0.07 pts in 2019, compared to 2018. • Postpaid churn of 1.13% improved by 0.03 pts in 2019, compared to last year, driven by the favourable impact from our ongoing investments in customer retention and network speeds • Prepaid churn of 4.44% increased by 1.27 pts in 2019, compared to the prior year, due to greater competitive intensity in the discount mobile market and the impact from the harmonization of our prepaid deactivation policy across all Bell Wireless brands from 120 days for Bell and Virgin Mobile and 150 days for Lucky Mobile to 90 days
Net activations grew by 7.4% in 2019, compared to 2018, due to higher prepaid net activations, moderated by lower postpaid net activations. • Postpaid net activations decreased by 10.2% in 2019, compared to 2018, driven by lower gross activations • Prepaid net activations increased by 81,325 in 2019, compared to last year, due to higher gross activations, offset in part by greater customer deactivations
Wireless subscribers at December 31, 2019 totaled 9,957,962, an increase of 3.6% from 9,610,482 subscribers reported at the end of 2018. This was comprised of 9,159,940 postpaid subscribers and 798,022 prepaid subscribers, an increase of 3.7% and 2.3%, respectively, year over year. At the end of 2019, the proportion of Bell Wireless customers subscribing to our postpaid service was stable at 92%, compared to last year. At the beginning of Q1 2019, we adjusted our wireless subscriber base to remove 167,929 subscribers (72,231 postpaid and 95,698 prepaid) as follows: • 65,798 subscribers (19,195 postpaid and 46,603 prepaid), due to the completion of the shutdown of the CDMA network on April 30, 2019 • 49,095 prepaid subscribers as a result of a change to our deactivation policy, mainly from 120 days for Bell/Virgin Mobile and 150 days for Lucky Mobile to 90 days • 43,670 postpaid subscribers relating to IoT due to the further refinement of our subscriber definition as a result of the technology evolution • 9,366 postpaid fixed wireless Internet subscribers which were transferred to our retail high-speed Internet subscriber base
Table:
 | 2019 | 2018 | CHANGE | % CHANGE
Blended ABPU ($/month) (1) | 68.32 | 67.76 | 0.56 | 0.8%
Gross activations | 2,117,517 | 1,954,792 | 162,725 | 8.3%
Postpaid | 1,568,729 | 1,615,764 | (47,035) | (2.9%)
Prepaid | 548,788 | 339,028 | 209,760 | 61.9%
Net activations (losses) | 515,409 | 479,811 | 35,598 | 7.4%
Postpaid | 401,955 | 447,682 | (45,727) | (10.2%)
Prepaid | 113,454 | 32,129 | 81,325 | 253.1%
Blended churn % (average per month) | 1.39% | 1.32% |  | (0.07) pts
Postpaid | 1.13% | 1.16% |  | 0.03 pts
Prepaid | 4.44% | 3.17% |  | (1.27) pts
Subscribers (2) (3) | 9,957,962 | 9,610,482 | 347,480 | 3.6%
Postpaid (2) (3) | 9,159,940 | 8,830,216 | 329,724 | 3.7%
Prepaid (2) | 798,022 | 780,266 | 17,756 | 2.3%


Question: How many subscribers were removed when the postpaid wireless subscriber base was adjusted at the beginning of Q4 2018?
Answer: 20,000