VANCOUVER – With just days until the start of the 700 MHz auction, Industry Minister James Moore said Friday that the government will hold an auction for 2500 MHz spectrum starting April 14, 2015.
During a press conference in Vancouver, Minister Moore released the framework outlining the process for auctioning 2500 MHz spectrum licences as well as the conditions that licence holders must respect after the auction. Those rules, which the Minister said are “specifically designed to put Canadian consumers first”, include:
– spectrum caps to ensure that four or more providers have the opportunity to access 2500 MHz spectrum;
– smaller geographic…
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SEVERAL SOURCES have told Cartt.ca over the past number of weeks that Rogers Communications has grabbed the over-the-top bull by the horns and has been signing a massive number of content deals and at least one significant partnership agreement (if not more) in an effort to battle back against Netflix in Canada by launching a new, national, OTT video portal.
Our multiple sources (all of whom requested anonymity for business reasons) have told Cartt.ca that Rogers is spending over $100 million buying all the video content windows available from as many rights holders (such as Disney/ABC, Warner Bros., 20th Century…
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MONTREAL – Telefilm Canada is supporting 18 lower budget English-language productions (with budgets under $2.5 million) from the Ontario and Nunavut, Western as well as Atlantic regions through the Canada Feature Film Fund.
The total allocation for the productions selected, in the second quarter of 2013-2014, is slightly over $4 million, the organization said.
www.telefilm.ca
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TORONTO – Allstream president Dean Prevost is stepping down from the company effective January 17 to pursue other interests, MTS Allstream said Tuesday. Michael Strople, currently COO of Allstream, will assume the role of president.
Prevost, pictured, joined Allstream's predecessor company, AT&T Canada Enterprises, in 1997 as vice-president, strategy and business development. Described as a key member of Allstream since its founding, Prevost has led every major function in the company, through roles such as the President of IT Services, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Corporate Officer.
"Dean has been a driving force behind Allstream's evolution to become…
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TORONTO – Veteran media executive Kevin Shea has joined the advisory board at adtech company Influicity.
Shea, pictured, will hold the official title of executive advisor, with a particular focus on strategic initiatives, partnerships, and shaping the company for “hyper-growth”.
Currently founder and CEO at ChezShea Communications, Shea is also chairman to the Ontario Media Development Corporation. Over his 30 year career, he helped to build Canada’s first children’s television channel YTV, was Chief Operating Officer at CanWest Global, and the founding president of Sirius Satellite Radio Canada.
“Kevin is a legend in Canadian media and we are thrilled to welcome him to the…
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TORONTO – Bell Media announced Monday it has hired Lucy Collin as vice-president, marketing and innovation – integrated sales for English Canada. Reporting to Luc Sabbatini, president, Bell Media Sales, Collin (a former Rogers executive, most recently as the former publisher of Marketing Magazine), will oversee the marketing strategy for Bell Media Sales, as well as advise on Bell Media Sales’ brand execution, the company said.
“Marketing and innovation are at the core of our integrated sales team’s strategy, and having a highly skilled professional like Lucy join our ranks will help solidify our business vision,” said Sabbatini. “Her great…
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OTTAWA – The Federal Court has shot down a request by Telus challenging the Industry Minister’s authority to set the eligibility requirements for parties participating in next week’s 700 MHz spectrum auction. The telco was also ordered to pay for the costs of pursuing its legal action.
Telus filed an application with the Federal Court last August asking for an order to prohibit Industry Minister James Moore from setting any other eligibility criteria than what is set out in the Radiocommunications Act when issuing licenses for spectrum access. This criteria prevents “large wireless service providers” from bidding for more…
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TORONTO – CTAM Canada invites members to save January 22 for its 2014 President's Reception.
In addition to offering a great opportunity to reconnect with industry friends and colleagues, CTAM will reveal its plans for the New Year at the popular event. More details coming soon.
www.ctam.ca
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TORONTO – Wednesday’s announcement by the federal government to curb domestic wholesale roaming rates was welcomed by at least one new wireless entrant, but panned by an industry analyst who described the move as “too little, too late”.
Wind Mobile chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie said that the decision makes it clear that the government “is taking the realistic and committed actions necessary to create a level playing field for competition in the wireless space”.
“Today's announcement shows that Prime Minister Harper's Government is serious about competition and serious about consumers”, he said in an emailed statement. “Minister Moore has said this…
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OTTAWA – The federal government is capping domestic wholesale wireless roaming rates in an effort to benefit Canadian consumers and give a leg-up to new wireless entrants.
Industry Minister James Moore said Wednesday that the Government will amend the Telecommunications Act to prevent large wireless providers from charging other companies more than they charge their own customers for mobile voice, data and text services. This measure will be in place until the CRTC, which launched its own investigation into roaming rates last week, makes a decision.
Minister Moore said in a statement that high domestic roaming rates hold back many providers, especially…
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