Canada ranked on lowest tier for 5G readiness
WASHINGTON – China holds a narrow lead in overall 5G readiness ahead of South Korea and the United States, according to a new report commissioned by CTIA, a trade association representing the U.S. wireless communications industry.
Global Race to 5G – Spectrum and Infrastructure Plans and Priorities, conducted by Analysys Mason, ranked 10 countries (including Canada) between December 2017 and March 2018 on their 5G readiness by comparing proposed 5G spectrum and infrastructure policies as well the commercial industry plans.
The findings show China, South Korea, the United States and Japan as…
Continue Reading
DORVAL, QC – Canada’s space and satellite communications industry received a boost Wednesday after the federal government announced a $11.5 million repayable investment from the Strategic Innovation Fund to help improve access to broadband in rural and remote areas.
David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains (pictured), said that Advantech Satellite Networks will use the funds to develop an advanced satellite broadband network that will improve the performance of satellite communication systems. The total value of the project is $29 million.
According to the announcement, the project will support the development of next-generation terminals…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Heritage Minister Melanie Joly has embarked upon Canada’s first creative industries trade mission to China.
She is accompanied by a delegation of almost 60 Canadian companies and organizations representing several sectors of creative industries, after issuing an open invitation last October for those seeking to build partnerships and business-to-business relationships in China.
Canadian Heritage said that the objective of the trade mission, which is scheduled for April 8 – 13, is to facilitate new market entry, leverage existing networks and renew partnerships.
“Additionally, it will serve as a platform for participating organizations to explore new business opportunities, advance ongoing…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – RTDNA Canada will recognize three individuals in the West region with lifetime achievement awards next week.
Rick Cluff, Hudson Mack and Wayne Williams will be presented with their RTDNA Canada Lifetime Achievement Awards during the West Regional Meeting on April 21, 2018.
Rick Cluff (right) was the host of CBC’s Radio One’s top-rated morning show The Early Edition from September 1997 until he retired in December 2017. His award-winning career with CBC began in Ontario in 1976 as a sports commentator and reporter, and he went on to cover eight Olympic games, five Commonwealth Games, Super Bowls, Stanley Cup runs…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Banff World Media Festival has unveiled a new national mentorship and market access program that will assist 100 emerging and established independent Canadian creators in attending the confab in June.
Known as the Banff Diversity Of Voices Initiative, the program will have a specific focus on Indigenous, Francophone and female industry professionals. The primary goal of the program is to provide participants with the information and relationships to be able to navigate the global content market and ultimately get their projects produced and sold as a direct result of the program.
The initiative will provide full registration access…
Continue Reading
Nearly 10,000 submissions, most by people who didn’t read the proposal
GATINEAU – The FairPlay Coalition has a fight on its hands.
Last week saw the passing of the deadline to respond to the CRTC’s call for comments on the public proceeding opened to consider the FairPlay Coalition’s call for a new agency to help fight online piracy of content.
In January, the coalition of Canadian artists, content creators, unions, guilds, producers, performers, broadcasters, distributors, and exhibitors proposed the CRTC establish something called the Independent Piracy Review Agency (IPRA), which would assist it in identifying websites blatantly engaged in content theft –…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Encore+ is partnering with Hot Docs on a new collection of Canadian productions previously screened at either Hot Docs Festival or the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, or which have been created by Hot Docs production fund recipients or market program alumni.
The Hot Docs Collection Playlist on Encore+ is available now for free with English and French-language titles such as Kanhesatake:270 Years of Resistance, Rocks at Whiskey Trench, Actuality: The Art and Life of Allan King, Tu as crié Let Me Go, Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach, Pour la suite du monde, and…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology last week announced a work plan under which it will conduct the statutorily mandated review of the Copyright Act (it’s required every five years).
The committee will conduct the review in three phases and hear testimony from:
Witnesses representing specific sectors of activity, including publishing, visual arts, software and telecommunications (phase I);
Witnesses representing a range of stakeholders involved in multiple sectors of activity, such as Indigenous communities and various interest groups (phase II); and
Legal experts, including individual lawyers and academics, along with professional associations (phase III).
The Committee will also travel…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA and GATINEAU – All wireless service providers must be ready and able to distribute wireless public emergency alert messages on their LTE networks in Canada by April 6, as was directed by the CRTC.
Emergency alert messages are issued by federal, provincial and territorial governments and emergency management officials to warn the public of imminent threats, such as fires, tornadoes, floods, water contamination and Amber Alerts.
Alerts received via mobile devices will contain the same alert tone as those distributed from the radio or television, plus trigger a unique vibration cadence. They will also include the information Canadians need for…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has set its 2018-2019 program budget at $352 million, up $2.3 million from last fiscal year due in part to a “stable contribution” from the federal government announced last month in Budget 2018.
The CMF program budget is supported by revenue estimates for the coming year based on ongoing and new contributions from the Government of Canada; Canada’s cable, satellite and IPTV distributors; and recoupment and repayment revenues from funded productions. This year’s budget reflects the Feds’ contribution with the addition of a top-up of up to $15M to offset declining contributions…
Continue Reading
