VANCOUVER – Rogers has committed approximately $4 million to non-profit business incubator Wavefront, Canada's Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, to accelerate the growth of machine-to-machine (M2M), the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless businesses in Canada.
Over the next five years, Rogers pledged to offer financial resources, technology tools, training and mentorship programs to thousands of technology businesses and entrepreneurs that walk through Wavefront's doors. As part of its commitment, Rogers will sponsor the development of new programs including the Wavefront National Accelerator Program and Commercialization Support Program, as well as hands-on mentorship to M2M businesses looking to…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has directed Cogeco to implement a mechanized customer transfer process for television and Internet services customers as soon as possible, and no later than January 1, 2015.
In its decision issued Thursday, the Commission responded to an application by Bell Canada submitted in June claiming that Cogeco’s “large number of manual customer transfer requests were inefficiently diverting Bell Canada’s resources and harming consumers”.
As part of the implementation of local competition in the telecommunications industry, a process was developed by the industry for the efficient transfer of a customer’s service, commonly referred to as the customer…
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TORONTO – TV programmers and BDUs should consider their TV Everywhere offerings as a way to retain paid TV subscribers, in the face of increasing consumer use of OTT services and the continuing trend toward channel-trimming and cable-cutting.
That was the consensus among broadcasting industry experts who spoke at CTAM Canada’s 2014 Broadcaster Forum, held on Wednesday at the Sony Centre in downtown Toronto. More than 250 were in attendance.
Gord Hendren, president and CEO of Charlton Strategic Research in Toronto, presented research done earlier this year which indicates the vast majority of paid TV subscribers are very likely…
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GATINEAU – Here we go again.
Several years after the CRTC set the rules for mandated access to essential broadband facilities, the big telecommunications service providers (TSPs) and their smaller competitors who rent space on those TSP networks, will once again take their turns before the Commission beginning Monday to argue about mandated access to incumbent networks, specifically the deep fibre networks built by the large cable and telco incumbents.
As can be expected, the incumbents are going to argue that the retail broadband market is already highly competitive, the result of vigorous battles among facilities-based competitors. Any unwarranted…
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TORONTO – While the majority of Canadians still prefer using a PC when making online purchases, mobile ecommerce is beginning to take hold, says a new Visa Canada survey.
The survey found that just over one-quarter (26%) of Canadians have used a mobile device to make an online purchase over the past three months. Reasons for not using mobile devices for online purchasing range from ease of use and security concerns to simply not having thought about it. PCs, on the other hand, are favoured for their perceived convenience, speed of accessing the Internet, and security.
When it comes to offline…
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TORONTO – CBC recently appointed Jenna Bourdeau as its new senior director, acquisitions.
Reporting to programming GM Sally Catto, Bourdeau will oversee the acquisition of distinct, bold and engaging Canadian and international content that will find its way on to CBC’s platforms, reads the announcement.
She brings over 15 years of experience navigating the international film and television content market, most recently as VP of Distribution at Proper Rights. Prior to that, Bourdeau co-founded and served as co-president of Buzz Taxi Communications (acquired by Proper Rights in 2013), during which time she built a catalogue that boasted over 500 hours of…
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VANCOUVER – Most conference panels don't end up on highlight reels, and this year’s Merging Media financing roundtable might have been no different, until U.S. digital guru Robert Tercek took Bell Fund executive director Andra Sheffer and Canada Media Fund CEO Valerie Creighton to task over whether Canadian-content subsidies for digital content work.
Tercek argued Internet players like Starz Digital Media and Hulu offer no upfront investment for digital content. They instead expect producers to prove themselves by amassing 500,000 to one million YouTube followers before doors open to receive a pitch.
"No one is out there saying, here's some money…
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OTTAWA – Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is now accepting applications for The Protégé Project, a pioneering new program designed to spur female leadership in Canada’s communications, media and technology sectors.
A partnership with Shaw Communications and global non-profit organization Catalyst Canada, The Protégé Project will see fast-tracking senior women executives matched with powerful sponsors who will give them a leg-up to the industry’s top decision-making positions and a direct line to influence innovation in the digital economy.
Communications, media and technology companies acknowledge that their boards and senior management ranks are falling far short when it comes to welcoming women,…
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LOS ANGELES – The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Interstate Association of Audiovisual Industry (SICAV) to expand opportunities for co-production between producers of audiovisual content including film, television and digital media production.
The SICAV represents the interests of the Rio de Janeiro audiovisual sector at the federal, state and municipal levels. This marks the third agreement established between Brazil and Canada this year.
The new cooperation agreement confirms the CMPA’s and the SICAV’s commitment to conducting discussions to promote:
– Mutual cooperation: facilitate cooperation and exchange of information between members of both organizations and between organs…
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QUEBEC CITY – EXFO Inc. is a founding member of a new organization designed to ensure that Canada gets its share of the $5 trillion high-tech pie while maintaining its position as a world leader in next generation network technologies.
The company said that the new Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN) seeks to bring together the entire industry supply chain – including multinationals, small- and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, service providers, research scientists and academics, to provide testing facilities, business support, mentoring and help in finding financing, all while promoting the development of cloud-based applications in areas such…
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