OTTAWA – The big players in Canada’s wireless broadband space have told Industry Canada that it should avoid adopting the U.S. plan for the 2500 MHz band and instead opt for the international band plan. They say the economics resulting from such a decision are much better for the Canadian wireless sector.
“Harmonization of the Canadian band plan with the globally adopted band plan will be essential if Canadians are to benefit from the global ecosystem for wireless network technology and consumer devices that are already developing for the band,” Inukshuk Internet tells Industry Canada in comments filed…
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CALGARY – “Put yourself into my shoes,” CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein asked Shaw Cable’s executives.
The chair made the plea during an exchange Monday morning at the Airport Four Points Sheraton in Calgary during the day-long hearing into the western cableco’s applications to renew most of its cable licenses.
Due to a number of regulatory transgressions and questions over the years, (especially concerning advertising messages on some of its community channels that were contrary to the regulations, and treatment of some specialty channels), Shaw was granted only a short term license renewal by the CRTC back in 2008…
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DAWSON CREEK, BC – A small, rural Internet company in northeastern BC has essentially been told by Industry Canada that it’s just not Canadian enough.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail, the Peace Region Internet Society had its request to upgrade to higher quality wireless spectrum turned down because it “does not meet the (government’s) definition for being Canadian-owned and controlled”. Foreign entities are not permitted to control wireless spectrum in Canada.
The group, which is seeking more reliable high speed Internet, said that it was deemed un-Canadian because it does not issue shares, instead relying upon a structure where…
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SYDNEY, NS – Seaside Communications owner Irving Schwartz died Saturday in Sydney. He was 81.
Widely known as an entrepreneur, humanitarian, and community leader, the New Waterford native had battled cancer and Parkinson’s disease for the past two years. He was laid to rest Monday morning at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre in Sydney.
Schwartz, (pictured), was president of the Seaside Group of companies, with operations in cable TV, wireless Internet, software development, and clinical research. He was also chairman of Schwartz and Company, which includes the Atlantic Canada furniture and appliance store bearing his name, and president of Vulcan Holdings, a real estate company.
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EXHIBITOR TABLE registration, advertising opportunities and sponsorship packages are now available for the 2011 Canadian CommTech Show.
The 6th annual two-day trade show and training seminars, geared towards the cable, telecommunications and wireless industries, will return to the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna, BC on May 18-19, 2011.
Over 70 exhibitors from Canada and the U.S are expected to display their lines and profile their services. Outdoor exhibition space is also available to accommodate industry vehicles and heavy equipment. An ‘early bird’ exhibitor savings of $100 is available until October 15, 2010.
For registration forms or additional information, visit www.commtechshow.com
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TORONTO – Canada’s wireless carriers were pleased to read on Cartt.ca that Industry Minister Tony Clement is going to make the auction of the 700 MHz wireless spectrum a priority of his ministry,
“We’re happy he’s saying, ‘bring it on’,” Rogers Communications senior vice-president of regulatory, Ken Engelhart, told Cartt.ca.“We agree with Minister Clement, that (the auction) should be brought on fairly quickly.”
The 700 MHz spectrum, of course, is what our conventional broadcasters use to transmit analog TV signals right now. They face a deadline of August 31, 2011 to get off that spectrum (shutting off their analog transmitters)…
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ONLY ONE MORE week until independent cable operators from across Canada, suppliers, and other industry delegates (including Cartt.ca, of course) gather for the annual CCSA conference.
The ‘Connect 2010’ summit, which this year is sponsored by Turner Networks, is scheduled from September 26 – 28 at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.
Over 250 attendees will take in an expanded trade show, sessions on innovative technologies, and speakers such as renowned British author, Dr. Donald Sull (The Upside of Turbulence). The CCSA will also announce its Member and Supplier of the Year winners.
One of the sessions will feature Gord Hendren, president of…
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PART OF THE RATIONALE behind Bell Canada’s purchase of CTV is that the mobile and broadband spaces are unregulated – and that content exclusives will be part of the game when attracting and retaining subscribers who want to see their video content on their iPads, BlackBerrys or PCs, as well as their TVs.
Bell CEO George Cope told us as much when we asked him about it during the press conference announcing the deal last week.
However, to paraphrase what Telus has been saying for a while now: “Not so fast, consolidators.”
The Bell/CTV deal was excellent timing for the…
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CALGARY – When the CRTC dives into the proposed purchase of Canwest Global’s TV assets by Shaw Communications next week, many industry stakeholders are asking for asking for safeguards and urging the Commission to be prudent.
(Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien will be in Calgary next week covering the hearing. For live updates, follow him on Twitter via @gregobr and surf back to Cartt.ca regularly.)
The $2 billion deal, which would make Shaw the largest vertically integrated media company in Canada, for now, appears to have the cautious support of many, as long as certain conditions – often described as “competitive safeguards” – are attached.
Shaw’s primary…
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TORONTO – Bell and Telus could be the winners when the 700 MHz wireless spectrum hits the auction block, predicts one industry analyst.
Responding to Cartt.ca’s report that Industry Minister Clement may accelerate the 700 MHz mobile spectrum auction in Canada, Canaccord Genuity managing director and head of Canadian research, Dvai Ghose, told investors Monday that the two big telcos appear to have an advantage over Rogers because they share spectrum, while Rogers does not have a national spectrum sharing partner.
“We also believe that the 700 MHz auction poses a key risk to cash flow and dividend growth for…
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