NIAGARA, Ont. – Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) announced last week 765 homes and businesses in the Niagara Region will have high-speed Internet access by the end of the year.
“Cogeco Connexion, in partnership with SWIFT, is constructing a 53-kilometre fibre-optic network to bring improved broadband access to the communities of Grimsby Centre, Grassie, Allen’s Corners, Kimbo, Fulton, Abingdon, Caistor Centre and Caistorville,” a SWIFT press release says.
Construction began in January and service is expected to be fully available in these communities by December.
The project is valued at $3.3 million with the governments of Canada and Ontario each committing…
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Telecoms generally against ISED proposal for restricted areas around airports
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – Comments submitted to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) Consultation on a Policy and Licensing Framework for Spectrum in the 3800 MHz Band, show Canada’s telecoms are divided on which, if any, pro-competitive measures should be adopted for the 3800 MHz spectrum auction, expected to be held in 2023.
ISED proposed three options for competitive measures for the 3800 MHz auction – a 50 MHz set-aside, a 100 MHz cross-band cap (this would apply across the 3500 MHz and 3800 MHz bands), or both.
The set-aside option…
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CANADIAN TELECOMS ARE helping customers connect to family and friends in Ukraine by waiving charges for calls and texts from Canada to Ukraine, and in some cases they are waiving roaming charges for customers currently in Ukraine as well.
Companies that have made such announcements include:
Sasktel announced today it will automatically waive long-distance charges for its wireless, landline, and business calls from Canada to Ukraine, international text messaging fees for texts sent from Canada to Ukraine, and roaming charges for calls, text and data overages for its customers who are currently in Ukraine.
Cogeco tweeted today it is waiving…
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MONTREAL — Music service provider and broadcaster Stingray announced today a partnership with TikTok to launch TikTok Radio on Stingray Music on TV, web and mobile platforms, starting today in the United States and tomorrow in Canada.
“Listeners will enjoy hearing music the TikTok community loves, including viral hits, throwbacks, and songs from the next generation of rising stars. To truly reflect the TikTok experience, the channel will also feature trending sounds and introductions from some of TikTok’s popular artists and creators,” reads a Stingray press release.
The curated TikTok Radio channel “will be refreshed several times a week with songs…
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TORONTO — Just in time for Family Day weekend, WildBrain Television announced it will premiere three new exclusive series during its upcoming free preview across WildBrain’s entire English network, which includes Family Channel and Family Jr.
The freeview runs from Feb. 18 to March 31 for all Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Telus, Eastlink and Cogeco subscribers, and from March 1-31 for Videotron subscribers.
On Sunday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy will premiere exclusively in Canada on Family Jr. Commissioned by WildBrain in July 2021, this 26-episode cabaret-style show is hosted by Toronto…
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PERTH COUNTY and WELLINGTON COUNTY, Ont. — The Ontario government and Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) announced today Cogeco Connexion has completed construction of a fibre-to-the-home network in Wellington County, Ont., and work is now underway on broadband projects in Perth County by Mornington Communications, Tuckersmith Communications and Wightman Telecom.
In Wellington County, a new $976,000 fibre network built by Cogeco Connexion in the community of Eden Mills is now providing 350 homes, farms and businesses with access to high-speed Internet service, according to an Ontario government press release.
A separate press release from SWIFT says high-speed Internet service…
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Shaw still fastest fixed broadband provider in latest quarter
SEATTLE — Telus Communications was once again the fastest mobile operator among top providers in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Seattle-based mobile and broadband network testing company Ookla’s most recent quarterly report on the Canadian market.
Released today, Ookla’s Q4 2021 Speedtest Global Index market analysis for Canada also shows Shaw Communications retained its top ranking as the country’s fastest fixed broadband provider.
Using its Speedtest Intelligence data for Q4 2021, Ookla gave Telus a speed score of 98.29 for its mobile network performance (see chart above), which…
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OTTAWA — Satellite operator Telesat and ENCQOR 5G, a Canada-Quebec-Ontario initiative focused on 5G technology research and innovation, announced today a new strategic partnership to accelerate the delivery of next-generation 5G networks across Canada.
“In cooperation with the ENCQOR 5G program, Telesat will conduct demonstrations, trials and pilots that will advance 5G connectivity, particularly to industries operating in rural areas,” reads a Telesat press release.
“This includes the utilization of the ENCQOR testbed, satellite assets, as well as national and international 5G infrastructures. The partnership will also allow both Telesat and ENCQOR 5G to collaborate with other industries, academia, and organizations…
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GATINEAU – Revenue from Canadian broadcasting services declined 6.6% to $15.8 billion in 2019-2020 compared to 2018-2019, the CRTC says.
This is highlighted in the broadcasting portion of the CRTC’s Communications Market Report (CMR; formally the Communications Monitoring Report), released last month, which covers the broadcast year spanning from Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2020, and as such includes around six months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The $15.8 billion in revenue does not include revenues from Internet-based services, known as over-the-top services (OTT), operating under the CRTC’s digital media exemption order.
Over half of the revenues were generated by broadcasting distribution…
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STONEY POINT, Ont. — The Ontario government announced today construction is now underway on a $3.7 million broadband project that will connect more than 945 homes, farms and businesses in Stoney Point, Ont., to high-speed Internet services starting in May 2022.
Stoney Point is located in the municipality of Lakeshore in Essex County, east of Windsor.
The contract for the project was awarded to Chatham, Ont.-based TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in October 2020 by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) as part of a larger government investment in broadband upgrades in Essex County.
According to SWIFT’s approved project webpage, TekSavvy is receiving…
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