Search Results for: industry canada

Cable / Telecom News

White Radio adds Laura O’Hare

BURLINGTON – Cable technology distributor White Radio announced today that Laura O’Hare has been hired as national product development manager for the company’s communications division. O’Hare has extensive cable industry experience. Most recently, she was manager of the engineering technology integration lab at Rogers Cable. Her responsibilities there included national lab testing activities as well as integration and verification of technology. The positions that she held at Rogers – manager, engineering technology verification and support and technical specialist, outside plant engineering – “will be of significant value in the understanding of her customers requirements now and in the future,”… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Mortal enemies seek wireless net efficiencies

TORONTO and MONTREAL – Rogers Communications and Bell Canada today said they will jointly build and manage a Canada-wide wireless broadband network. The network is expected to initially reach more than two-thirds of Canadians in less than three years. The companies will pool their wireless broadband spectrum holdings into a joint venture, Inukshuk Internet Inc., which will build and operate the network. Once built, Canada will have one of the most robust and extensive wireless broadband networks in the world. Normally enemies on many competitive fronts, Bell and Rogers decided to get together on this project to split the… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Branson wants PM involved in WNP; CWTA responds

TORONTO – British billionaire Sir Richard Branson said Friday the Prime Minister needs to get involved in the wireless number portability debate and force the three largest providers to speed up the process. During a teleconference Friday, Virgin Mobile Canada owner Branson announced he is “on a personal mission” to ensure that Canada’s 15 million mobile phone users can take their mobile numbers with them if they switch carriers sooner than the planned date of 2007. On Monday, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association released a plan that won’t see number portability available in Canada until late 2007. Branson says… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CAB to remove broadcast barriers to disabled

OTTAWA – Saying we need greater inclusion of people with disabilities on the air, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) today submitted its research report titled The Presence, Portrayal and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Television Programming to the CRTC. The report provides extensive detail on the issues and barriers challenging persons with disabilities, in society and in television programming alike. It further provides a series of recommendations for the development of a broadcaster tool kit to move forward on greater inclusion of persons with disabilities within the broadcasting industry; and for addressing issues of presence and portrayal… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Davies takes over programming at CSR; Mackowycz steps aside

TORONTO – Ross Davies has been hired by Canadian Satellite Radio as vice-president of programming. In this role, he will be responsible for overseeing all originally-produced and acquired programming on the service and overseeing the programming and production studios that CSR will build across the country, says the company. Bob Mackowycz, who had been CSR’s programming chief through the regulatory process and genesis of the company, which plans to launch its service this fall, has decided to step aside, CSR president and COO Stephen Tapp told www.cartt.ca this afternoon. “There’s no big, bad story here,” said Tapp. “He’ll still… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Two year wait for number portability “a disgrace” says Branson

TORONTO – Sir Richard Branson today released an open letter to Canadians calling on them to exert whatever pressure they can to get wireless phone number portability to happen in Canada in 2006, not 2007, as the three largest wireless providers have decided (as reported this week by www.cartt.ca.  His release reads: Virgin Mobile Canada launched on March 1st, 2005 with a promise to shake up the mobile market and offer customers a simpler, better deal. One of the first issues that we identified in the mobile industry and that I spoke out publicly about was the fact that… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Barb Stanley to join National Research Council

OTTAWA – Former Fundy Cable exec and Canadian Cable Systems Alliance founder Barbara Stanley has been appointed to a three year term on the governing council for the National Research Council. Industry Minister David Emerson made the announcement yesterday, also adding B.C. biotech lawyer James Hatton to the same board. "These appointments strengthen the work of the National Research Council in many ways," said Minister Emerson, in a release. "James Hatton and Barbara Stanley have extensive experience working in the private and public sectors and will bring a wealth of knowledge to the research and development being performed at… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

The TUESDAY INTERVIEW: Rogers Communications Group president and COO Nadir Mohamed

THIS IS A BIG JOB. No wonder Rogers Communications Group’s president and COO Nadir Mohamed doesn’t want to talk about succession. He’s got lots on his plate to worry about now, rather than what his next job might be. Besides, last week’s National Post Business article beat that story to death (and then some) last week. What we wanted to know is where the company’s priorities lay. What’s job one for him rightnow? How is he going to bring together two disparate groups (cable and wireless, together a $5 billion business), two completely different technological platforms, into a cohesive,… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Wireless number portability coming in 24 months; not fast enough, says Branson

OTTAWA – Canada’s wireless telephony industry is now aiming for September 2007 as the month when we’ll see wireless number portability in Canada. Despite the inability of wireless numbers to be taken from carrier to carrier surely keeps a lid on churn, this is something consumers and government has been pushing for. So in June, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association commissioned an independent report on the subject from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the results of which were made public today. The 64-page report examines the hundreds of technical, inter-carrier and regulatory tasks and issues that need to be addressed in order for… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Ontario gives $10 million to Film Centre

TORONTO – The Ontario government today announced a $10 million grant to the Canadian Film Centre, which will be directed towards the centre’s training programs. Minister of Culture Madeleine Meilleur made the announcement today (Sunday) at the Film Centre’s annual barbecue held during the Toronto International Film Festival. "The Ontario government is proud to support the Film Centre with the expansion of its training programs for professionals working in film, television and new media," said Meilleur, in the press release. "The Film Centre is a world leader in developing emerging talent for screen-based entertainment. Its graduates have put Ontario… Continue Reading