Telco says it did not receive any wholesale orders in Quebec
By Ahmad Hathout
Telus is asking the CRTC for a four-month extension to provide competitor access to its last-mile fibre network in British Columbia and Alberta.
The Vancouver-based telecom said in a review-and-vary application made public Wednesday that — after two months of work on the framework since the August decision mandated that access — “it will be impossible to implement an automated and reliable system” by the current deadline of February 13, 2025. It is asking for that to be extended to June 13.
“TELUS’ implementation work so far has made…
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Telus said Wednesday that the latest smartwatches from Apple and Samsung are now available through its retail locations.
The Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch7 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra are now available with the purchase of a separate SIM card for the devices.
Koodo is also introducing a new data plan for the smartwatches, called One Number 5GB, which provides said amount of data at 4G LTE speeds for $10 per month.
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Telus announced Monday that part of its fibre network will serve as the platform for British Columbia-based Photonic Inc. to test its next-generation quantum communications technology.
The telco will provide a 30-kilometre stretch of fibre network in B.C., “configured to test increasingly complex quantum networking that leverage quantum encryption for ultra-secure, tamper-evident transfer of information over long distances,” a press release says.
The fibre infrastructure will allow the Canadian startup to test and advance critical capabilities in quantum technology, including solving complex computation problems beyond today’s computers, such as for materials development and quantum key distribution, which lays the foundation for…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Friday set the interim rates competitors will pay large telephone companies to use their last-mile fibre network outside of Ontario and Quebec, while adjusting the existing rates for that access in those two provinces. The rates are being received with reception ranging from lukewarm to outright disappointment.
For all provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, the CRTC set Bell’s last-mile interim access rate – which competitors can lease with its middle-mile facilities – at $68.94 per month for between 3 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps and $78.03 for 1.5 Gbps to 3 Gbps. To bulk buy the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A television network that focuses on Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ communities wants the CRTC to broaden its distribution on basic television, or at least set a base wholesale fee for negotiations with distributors.
When the CRTC came to renew the licence for OUTtv in 2022, it granted the service in the English-language market must-offer status – requiring broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) to carry the channel but leaving it to the subscriber to pay for the service – instead of must-carry status with a guaranteed wholesale fee that is available to all subscribers of the BDU. That status will remain until…
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Telus announced Wednesday that it is partnering with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) to provide new immigrants with special offers on purchases of the telecom’s services through the ICC’s app Canoo.
Newcomers using the Canoo app will get exclusive access to discounts on Telus, Koodo, Public Mobile, and Mobile Klinik – and they won’t necessarily need a Canadian credit history, a press release said.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s Canoo program to help newcomers start their journey in Canada with confidence through reliable, accessible solutions at TELUS,” said Chris Datta, Telus’s vice president of…
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Telus’s Mobile Klinik has announced Thursday that it has partnered with a company that offers a platform to more efficiently repair and refurbish devices.
Baltimore-based Apkudo provides automation technology called the Circular Industry Platform, which it said will help Mobile Klinik “streamline device testing and grading, reduce operational risks, scale operations, and ensure that every refurbished certified pre-owned device meets the company’s rigorous standards,” according to a press release.
“This means customers will now benefit from greater transparency around the lifecycle of their devices, along with a wider selection of certified pre-owned options available at Mobile Klinik and TELUS store locations…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) regime, once confined to individual consumers and small businesses, has been expanded to include internet of things (IoT) and enterprise customers now that the CRTC on Wednesday ordered the large telecoms to modify their tariffs to enable competitors to wholesale network space to serve those particlar clients.
The regulator affirmed Wednesday its preliminary view that the IoT segment, which includes the machine-to-machine market, and the enterprise market, defined as companies with 100 or more paid employees, see similar market dynamics as the rest of the segments under regulation –…
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The CRTC is asking the big three telecoms to outline the “concrete steps” they are taking to address what it found to be unacceptably high international roaming charges and less choice than their peers in other countries.
Over a year ago, the regulator confirmed that it was studying international roaming prices after a letter from the innovation minister asked the CRTC to look into the matter. The letter and the CRTC’s confirmation came in the same month that Bell and Telus raised their U.S. and international roaming rates.
On Monday, the CRTC found both that “Canadians lack choice…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Carriers will have to come to an agreement over the wholesale rate charged for domestic roaming, with the CRTC only acting as the decider of last resort, the regulator announced Monday.
The announcement means the CRTC is moving away from what is called “Phase II” costing methodology, which involves the national carriers submitting cost studies, typically for a five-year forward-looking period, so all regional competitors are paying the same rate.
This time, the commission is choosing to go the commercial negotiation route guided by rate benchmarks it will publish on an annual basis, which it said will include weighted…
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