GATINEAU – Canadian consumers need their wireless companies to be much more transparent when it comes to contract terms and other matters, so the industry should have national standards when it comes to the provision of wireless services, Telus told the CRTC on Wednesday in calling for a public hearing on transparency in wireless.
The call for that new process came in a letter to the Commission from the company’s senior vice-president of government and regulatory affairs, Michael Hennessy, where he denied an accusation leveled by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre that Telus routinely charges wireless customers for 30 additional…
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OTTAWA – CMPA president and CEO Norm Bolen has chosen to step down from his position in June, says Canadian Media Production Association chair Tom Cox.
“Three years ago, Norm put his personal plans on hold to serve as president and CEO of our association during a pivotal time for both our organization and the industry. His contributions have been immeasurable and we thank him for his steadfast commitment and exemplary leadership,” said Cox, in a release.
Bolen was hired in 2009. He was formerly executive vice-president, content, for Alliance Atlantis, and prior to that spent over 20 years as an executive…
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OTTAWA and ENGLEWOOD, CO – Industry Canada has approved the transfer of TerreStar's Canadian wireless spectrum licenses to Dish Network Corporation.
The U.S. satellite giant, which bought TerreStar out of bankruptcy protection last summer, said in a statement that it will close the transaction as soon as it receives approval from the Federal Communications Commission, and then “move forward with its planned wireless initiatives”.
“Dish is pleased to announce that Industry Canada has approved the transfer of the Canadian spectrum licenses held by TerreStar to Dish”, reads the company’s statement. “In granting its approval, Industry Canada reached the conclusion that the…
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TORONTO – Dell Canada has partnered with mobile app developer Fongo on a new calling app designed to help Canadians cut costs on their mobile phone bills.
Dell Voice uses VoIP technology to receive and place calls with a users’ existing data connection (3G, 4G or WiFi) on a network owned by Canadian CLEC Fibernetics. The app includes free local and long-distance calls to many, but not all, areas of Canada; free unlimited incoming calls; plus free voicemail, caller ID, and call waiting. Users may also choose a local Canadian phone number for their Dell Voice line.
Dell Voice can be…
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MICHAEL MACMILLAN HAS timed things pretty well in his career.
A film and TV producer whose former company has an Academy Award to its credit (short film Boys and Girls, in 1984), MacMillan saw a law change Stateside that he knew would hurt Atlantis Films, so he got into broadcasting (with Life Network) as specialty channels were growing in number and popularity. Later, knowing that bigger would be better thanks to cross-promotional and content sharing possibilities, among other things, his Atlantis Broadcasting took over Alliance Communications in the 1990s to become a Canadian powerhouse in Alliance Atlantis.
Not long after that,…
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CHATHAM, ON –TekSavvy is offering its customers a two month rolling average for overage charges.
The independent Internet service provider, which last month unveiled unlimited off peak bandwidth in an effort to offset increased costs related to usage-based billing, said that the two month rolling average will ensure that customers are simply charged the difference between their 300 GB plan and the unlimited plan, if they go over their package allotment two months in a row.
“We have always aimed to provide Canadians with the best service and the most usage at the most competitive prices, and we are pleased to…
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IT HAS COME TO OUR attention that a headline of ours last week has caused some misunderstanding.
Last week, the office of Industry Minister Christian Paradis issued a press release noting he was taking part in a pre-budget round table discussions with leaders from the information and communications technologies sector in Toronto.
It was one of a series of planned round tables that also included a stop earlier this month in Montreal. At the meetings, the Minister said that he is seeking to engage private sector stakeholders on how best to ensure that…
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MONTREAL – Astral Radio has officially confirmed the arrival of its new digital music service across its NRJ and Virgin Radio Networks.
As Cartt.ca first reported last October, the new service will enable listeners to access different musical content in audio and video formats, plus offer weekly releases, exclusive content, a music video library, customizable playlist functions, and specialized web radio channels. An on-demand player will also allow music lovers to share their discoveries and favourites on a variety of social media platforms.
Available online now, the service will be available on mobile devices by Spring. It is being launched by…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s screen-based production industry grew from $5 billion to $5.5 billion between the fiscal years of 2010/11, according to a new report.
The report, Profile 2011: An Economic Report on the Screen-Based Production Industry in Canada, is an annual economic report published by the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) in collaboration with the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ), and the Department of Canadian Heritage. It provides a statistical overview of the three main screen-based production sectors in Canada – Canadian independent production (including television and theatrical), foreign location and service production, and broadcaster…
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TORONTO – Wind Mobile has taken issue with the wireless spectrum auction caps proposal put forward by Telus, saying there is nothing fair about it. “Caps are no different than an open auction,” Simon Lockie, chief regulatory officer at Wind, told Cartt.ca in an interview.
The fact that Telus is advocating for caps should speak volumes to their true position, Lockie says. Since the Big Three (Rogers, Bell and Telus) don’t really compete with each other and stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in enterprise value (based on analysis from the investment banking community) as a result of…
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