OTTAWA – CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said something Tuesday that caught the eye of many in the telecom business – that he believes the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister is beginning to move away from a commitment to facilities’-based competition when it comes to the telecom and wireless industries.
In his speech to the Banff World Media Fest, a gathering of North American TV types, chairman Blais offered three ways to improve wireless competition in Canada after he departs his position on June 17. His second idea was “to mandate wholesale access for mobile virtual…
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SAN JOSE, CA – A projected increase in Internet users, devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, average broadband speed advances, and video viewing will serve to drive up global Internet Protocol (IP) traffic three-fold over the next five years, says a new report from Cisco.
According to the Cisco Complete Visual Networking Index Forecast for 2016 to 2021, global IP traffic is expected to reach an annual run rate of 3.3 zettabytes by 2021, up from an annual run rate of 1.2 zettabytes in 2016.
For the first time in the 12 years of the forecast, M2M connections that support Internet of Things…
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WELL, GIVEN THAT WE'RE celebrating media in Alberta, let's just start by saying that CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais demurred from simply mumbling "adios" and riding quietly into a western sunset.
This was his final Banff rodeo as CRTC chair and he went out with hot guns a blazing. (At right is an artist’s conception of the CRTC chair and his speechwriter leaving Banff for the Calgary airport Tuesday…)
To put it mildly, some of the delegate chattering classes were upset with the bullets, many of which – they winced – were dipped in venom.
In my view, there was nothing conceptual in…
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TORONTO—Although ISED Minister Navdeep Bains' call for lower wireless and broadband prices dominated the buzz at the Canadian Telecom Summit here last week, it was not the only hot subject on the agenda. Far from it, in fact.
During a panel discussion moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O'Brien, senior officials from Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Telus, TekSavvy Solutions and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre scrimmaged over such other pressing subjects as software-based competition, low-income broadband subsidies, Wi-Fi-only services, unlimited broadband offerings, the future of the Broadcast and Telecom Acts and…
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“I will be presenting my vision for the creative sector in September”
OKAY, FULL TRANSPARENCY, I wasn't going to scribble about this.
I went to the advertised keynote partly to hear the Minister of Canadian Heritage "discuss how digital technology is transforming our world, and explore the role of government in supporting innovation and creativity to create new opportunities to bring the best of Canada to the world.”
Yikes there's a mouthful.
Also partly because the smart money at Banff was betting that she wouldn't have anything new to say, that we would get the same old drone we've been hearing for…
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BANFF – Canada’s Indigenous screen-based sector received a boost Monday with the announcement of a dedicated Indigenous Screen Office tasked with supporting the development, production and marketing of Indigenous content.
Speaking at the Banff World Media Festival, Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly said that the move is the result of collaboration between the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC), the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Telefilm Canada, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Associated partners include Bell Media, the Harold Greenberg Fund and Vice Studio Canada.
“Too often, Indigenous creators have…
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OTTAWA – Telesat is saluting the federal government’s new defence policy, especially its heightened priority on space and satellite communications.
The global satellite operator said Monday that it is particularly pleased to see the government’s commitment to address current capability gaps in satellite communication requirements, including the need to acquire space-based systems that will enhance and improve tactical narrow- and wide-band communications globally and throughout the Arctic, as well as new investments in remotely-piloted systems across all military environments.
Telesat added that these critical capabilities will enhance Canadian sovereignty and national security and offer compelling opportunities for Canadian industry to…
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TORONTO – An increasing number of Canadians are not only opting for alternative video services, their level of satisfaction is higher for alternatives than for their traditional pay TV service, according to new data from J.D. Power.
The Canadian Television Provider Customer Satisfaction Study measures overall satisfaction with television service providers based on six factors (in order of importance): performance and reliability; cost of service; programming; communication; billing; and customer service. The Canadian Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Study is based on five factors (in order of importance): performance and reliability; cost of service; communication; billing; and customer service. Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Acquisitions continue to pay off for Stingray Digital Group which saw its fourth quarter profits jump by over 41%, the company said Thursday.
For the fourth quarter ended March 31, Stingray posted a net income of $4.6 million, up from $3.2 million for the same period last year, mainly attributable to higher income taxes recovery related to the recognition of prior unrecognized tax losses, lower loss on fair value of investments, partially offset by higher legal fees and amortization of intangibles.
Adjusted net income increased 47.6% to $10.5 million from $7.1 million year-over-year, primarily due to higher income tax…
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TORONTO—ISED Minister Navdeep Bains' clarion call Monday for the Canadian telecom industry to slash its wireless and broadband prices re-ignited a heated debate within the industry about the sector's direction.
That debate was on full display on the stage of the Canadian Telecom Summit here Tuesday evening. In a contentious 90-minute session moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O'Brien, senior officials from Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Telus, TekSavvy Solutions and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre tangled over the industry's current pricing policies and the response needed to the Liberal Government's populist push for lower consumer…
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