MONTRÉAL – Rogers Communications in its $10.3 million proposal for Montréal’s CJNT-TV (Metro 14) says it has found the “optimal solution” that provides the city with a new English-language commercial TV station while also supporting a local plan for a new multilingual station. And even if the CRTC says no, it’s got a back-up plan to loosen CJNT’s current ethnic programming requirements.
Under Rogers’ optimal scenario the new station would be branded Citytv Montreal with programming and conditions of licence similar to the company's other Citytv…
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TORONTO – North American wireless carriers reported strong Q2 margins, with combined wireless EBITDA service margins for Rogers, Telus, Bell, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, LEAP and MetroPCS up 342 basis points and EBITDA growth up 14.5% over the previous year. This according to figures reported in Dvai Ghose’s Canaccord Genuity Daily Letter for September 17.
He says the improved margins were driven by reduced device subsidy pressure. Wireless equipment subsidies dropped an estimated 12% in Q2 due to a “dearth of iconic device launches.” He noted that with the Samsung Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5 recently launched “we…
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IQALUIT- Northwestel will begin cellular broadband 3G technical trials at the Nunavut Trade Show on September 25. The trials will help determine what technology Northwestel will use to carry out part of its modernization plan.
Northwestel submitted a modernization plan to the CRTC this past July in which it proposed to invest $273 million across the North. If the plan is approved, Northwestel will bring 3G wireless and high speed Internet services into every northern community. The CRTC is expected to deliver its decision later this fall.
“In the meantime, Northwestel is conducting cellular broadband 3G technical trials to…
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WITH THE CLOSING CEREMONIES of the Paralympic Games September 9th, the Olympic flame was officially doused until Sochi, Russia in 2014.
When that happened, a group of hardworking, unknown, largely underappreciated broadcasters were able to put out the flames in their backs, wrists, eyes and shoulders after working long, demanding hours spread through this summer.
We’re talking about the closed captioners, the people (mostly women) who type all those words you see when your TV is muted, or when you’re at the gym on a treadmill. It’s a vital service for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are deaf or…
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – Ice Wireless and Iristel are partnering with Huawei Canada to enter into a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to provide 3G cellular services to rural and remote communities in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Yukon Territories and Nunavut.
"Providing all people of the Northwest Territories with better telecommunications infrastructure is a priority for this government," said NWT Premier Bob McLeod in a news release. “Better access to advanced cellular services and broadband Internet will enhance our competitiveness, create higher value-added jobs and make new business models possible."
Presently, residents of the three territories of Northern Canada have the lowest availability…
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GATINEAU – Beginning today, the new area code “873” is officially available for new telephone numbers in the area currently served by the 819 code in Québec. Increasing demand for telephone numbers, particularly for wireless devices, has created a need for additional numbers to serve customers in the 819 region.
In February 2010, the CRTC announced the 819 region of Québec would be getting a new area code overlay on June 1, 2013. The new area code was in response to a report that warned the region would run out of telephone numbers by February…
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OTTAWA – The CBC says it's “fiercely opposed” to BCE’s proposal to double the amount of its tangible benefits package to create a new Category C French language national news service, calling it an “abuse of process” and an “extraordinary attempt to undermine competition.”
The CBC contends that BCE's proposed change to its tangible benefits package from its proposed purchase of Astral Media was made without notice to the commission or interveners, or to other interested parties such as the CBC, which might have intervened if the proposal had been…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, investment and infrastructure will be the key themes at the 11th Annual International Institute of Communications (IIC) 2012 Canada Conference at the Ottawa Convention Centre, October 29-30.
The conference will explore the questions around where network pressure will emerge, what engineering or other 'physics' solutions exist to stay ahead of that demand curve, where the financing will come from to maintain infrastructure at a necessary level to meet those pressures, and what the corollary impact will be on the ability of government to achieve policy goals.
Pre-registration is mandatory and space is limited. Registrations will be…
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MONTREAL – It's not flying cars and holographic displays (at least not yet), but Rogers Communications CEO Nadir Mohamed set a more attainable, near-term vision for a technological future in a speech to the Canadian Club in Montreal on Monday. It's a vision in which mobile service providers like Rogers play a key role.
Mohamed (pictured below) laid out three technological innovations during a 20-minute speech, in which he noted how odd it was that he was standing in front of a large Bell logo (Bell is the principal sponsor of the Canadian Club's CEO speech program):
1. Digital wallets
"There is…
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BANFF – The Banff Centre has applied to the CRTC for permission to acquire the assets and licences for the only two local radio stations in Banff.
“Operating these stations on a self-sustaining basis will ensure continued local community service to Banff,” said Jeff Melanson, president of The Banff Centre. “We also want to strengthen that service with more content about and from Banff.”
The Banff Centre says its entry into radio is a natural evolution in its ongoing commitment to expand its horizons and share the artistry of Canada with Canadians and the world.
“One of our goals at The…
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