TORONTO – A coalition of some of Canada’s biggest TV service providers have teamed up on a campaign to tell their side of the story on the contentious issue of fee for carriage.
Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, EastLink, Rogers and Telus have joined forces on ‘Stop the TV Tax’ which they say is designed to ensure “that Canadians hear the whole story”.
"Cable and satellite subscribers have united to stop the broadcasters’ costly proposal because it amounts to a tax, pure and simple”, said Rogers vice chair Phil Lind, in a statement. “This tax will hit viewers for stations that have always…
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MONTREAL – Astral Media Radio is offering mobile downloads of ringtones, wallpaper, and exclusive content produced by its hosts through a dedicated Internet site.
Called 61215 The Mobile Superstore, or La boutique mobile 61215 in the Quebec markets where AMR operates, the downloads are compatible with Bell, Rogers and Telus devices.
The site will also offer unique opportunities for advertisers looking for a new local media, the company said in a press release.
www.61215.ca
www.astralmedia.com
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GATINEAU – The fact that Globalive Wireless has altered its governance structure to mitigate CRTC concerns is just distracting everyone from the fact that its purse strings are tightly held outside of Canada.
And that means it can’t be a Canadian telecom operator, the three Canadian wireless incumbents told the Commission this morning.
During the final day into a hearing that began last week over the proposed structure of Globalive Wireless (which intends to come to market before year-end under the Wind brand name), representatives from Bell Canada, Telus and Rogers each played different verses of the same tune: Globalive…
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RICHMOND HILL, ON – WireIE Holdings International has named George Kaichis to its team as director of radio network services.
Kaichis will be focusing on managing RF design, network extensions, and network transformations in Canada and the Caribbean. He brings over 20 years of telecom experience at Canadian wireless operators, most recently at Telus as director of contract management.
www.wireie.com
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PRINCE RUPERT, BC – CityWest will shut down its analog cellular system in Prince Rupert on November 2nd due to low use and the high cost of maintenance.
According to CityWest, most cell phone users in the area already have a digital or dual-mode phone and will therefore not need to replace them. The company is offering a $100 trade-in credit for customers with analog-only phones to be put towards the cost of a new phone.
Bell and Telus shut down their analog systems in the area in 2008.
www.citywest.ca
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OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada has told the CRTC is can do what it pleases with the $650 million in deferral account money.
That means the Commission’s plan of giving some back to urban telecom customers who overpaid – while rural areas with little broadband will be able to draw on a few hundred million for more access, will go ahead.
The Court dismissed appeals from the major telcos and consumer groups that wanted the money to be doled out differently.
“While distinct questions arise in each of the appeals before us, the common problem is whether the CRTC, in…
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TORONTO – Canadian wireless operators will likely see a three percent decline in their service ARPU for 2009, with data accounting for 20% of wireless service revenue – and all of the growth, says a new report from Toronto’s Convergence Consulting.
Over the last year Canadian wireless voice revenue growth has moved into negative territory, while data growth continues to be robust, thanks to the growing adoption of smartphones/data devices, which the report estimates will reach 23% by year-end 2009 (and break 50% in 2014).
Based on what Convergence projects in terms of new entrants pricing (Wind, Dave, Public Mobile), and…
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TORONTO – Telus is co-starring with Cineplex Entertainment on discounted movie nights at theatres across the country.
‘Telus Tuesdays’ will feature half price movie tickets plus discounts on popcorn and soft drinks.
The telco has also launched a contest for its customers which will run from September 18 to November 12, 2009. Telus movie goers can enter the contest once per day via text message or an online form to be eligible to win a grand prize valued at $1,500.
www.telus.com/tuesdayswww.cineplex.com
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OTTAWA – An Internet based initiative launched today called ‘Campaign for Competitive Broadband’ is hoping to overturn a CRTC decision that campaign organizers say will stifle competition in broadband Internet, Ethernet and other next generation communications services in Canada.
Spearheaded by MTS Allstream, the campaign’s goal is “to ensure that network facilities built with the benefit of a historic monopoly and guaranteed rate of return, are accessible to a wide range of competitors who want to offer choice in services to businesses and consumers,” the press release reads.
Bell and Telus, which control these networks in most parts of the…
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TORONTO – Last week we published a story touting how new wireless company Globalive (to be branded as Wind) wants its primary Canadian banker to remain not only secret, but super-secret, if and when it meets the CRTC.
They would like to bring a representative from the bank in to its September 23rd hearing to tell the Commission how challenging it is for such a start-up to raise the money needed to launch in a competitive wireless marketplace dominated by three huge players, among other financial matters.
(The Regulator, due to concerns voiced by a number of people and companies,…
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