Calling it a “major milestone,” Bell announced Wednesday the completion of construction of its first sovereign direct-to-device satellite ground station, located in Quebec.
Testing has begun at the facility, which connects with AST SpaceMobile’s growing constellation of satellites, Bell said in a press release.
“Once operational, the site will form part of the Canadian infrastructure supporting direct-to-device satellite service, enabling the integration of AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network with Bell’s terrestrial network,” reads Bell’s press release.
Building on Bell and AST SpaceMobile’s successful demonstrations announced last October, Bell recently completed integration testing, including…
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The CRTC is asking the major telecoms to provide updates on their subscriber numbers, both in and out of their operating territories, as well any network upgrades they have made — part of the regulator’s monitoring of market conditions following the final wholesale internet access framework from August 2024.
In a July 10 letter sent to incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) Bell, Telus and SaskTel and cable carriers Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco and Eastlink, the CRTC asks for by-province summaries of the carriers’ total retail residential wireline internet subscribers — including standalone, those bundling a…
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Rogers Sportsnet will air a seven-part original series on the story of the Toronto Blue Jays to commemorate the baseball team’s 50th season.
The one-hour-per-episode series, called The Blue Jays Way, will start at 8 pm EST and run for consecutive weeks starting on July 12. (“Blue Jays Way” is also a street in Toronto named to commemorate the team’s first World Series championship in 1992.)
“The Blue Jays Way traces the franchise’s evolution from an ambitious expansion club in 1977 to a championship contender and cultural institution that has united generations of Canadian baseball fans,” a press release reads. “Through exclusive…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Telus said in an application to the CRTC that it intends to temporarily lock all of its devices for a 60-day period beginning July 30 to stop what it claims is increasing incidents of theft.
“Given the magnitude of the ongoing public safety crisis and the unrecoverable financial harm being sustained daily, TELUS advises the Commission that it intends to implement a temporary 60-day device lock on all new device activations on July 30, 2026,” the Vancouver-based telecom said in a Part 1 application, made public Wednesday.
The temporary move is intended to last as long as the CRTC…
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By Connie Thiessen
Rogers Sports and Media is cutting 230 positions across the division as it announces it’s shuttering six radio stations.
The stations, set to go off the air today, include 1130 NewsRadio (CKWX-AM) Vancouver; Sportsnet 650 (CISL-AM), Vancouver’s last remaining sports radio station; 660 NewsRadio (CFFR-AM) Calgary; 960 AM (CFAC-AM) Calgary; NewsRadio 95.7 (CJNI-FM) Halifax; and 570 NewsRadio (CKGL-AM) Kitchener.
A Rogers Sports and Media spokesperson said those licenses will be returned to the CRTC.
Employees across the country were notified this morning, with 80 connected to the radio station closures. Overall, about half of the positions impacted are corporate and support roles across sales, marketing, and programming, in addition to primarily production and…
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Rogers on Monday announced it has signed an agreement to buy the remaining 25-per-cent ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) from Larry Tanenbaum’s holding company Kilmer Sports Inc. for $4.35 billion, giving the cable giant sole ownership in the sports empire.
“This is a defining moment for Rogers. Our full ownership of MLSE brings together Canada’s premier communications company with Canada’s premier sports and entertainment organization,” Tony Staffieri, president and CEO of Rogers, said in a Monday press release. “It gives us even more opportunity to invest in championship-calibre teams, create unique…
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The CRTC on Tuesday launched a proceeding requiring Bell, Telus and Rogers to show cause why fees they have introduced recently are not in violation of the telecom regulator’s prohibition on activation and modification fees, which came into effect on June 12.
The proceeding, open to comments from the public, is being launched following CRTC warnings to Bell over its new $40 device handling fee, to Telus over its $15 SIM purchase fee, and to Rogers over its $40 device setup fee — charges…
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By Connie Thiessen
As excitement around the FIFA World Cup continues to grip audiences, Stingray is attempting to unite global soccer fans with the launch of a new pop-up music channel dedicated to the world’s biggest sport.
Running through July 31, with launch dates varying by platform, Stingray Soccer Anthems features “the world’s most iconic stadium songs, global hits, and fan-fueled chants that define the spirit of the game.”
Tailored to local audiences, outside Canada and the U.S., the channel will be branded as Stingray Himnos del Fútbol in Mexico and Spain, and Stingray Hinos de futebol in Brazil.
Musical selections will span…
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A week after questioning Rogers about its new device setup fee and other charges to customers, the CRTC has sent the wireless giant a new letter asking about its intention to add a $5 monthly charge to its customers’ bills starting next month.
“I have been informed today that Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Rogers) informed its mobile wireless customers through a note on their billing statement that it intends to add a $5 monthly charge to their mobile wireless customers’ bills as of 15 July 2026, calling it…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Using precedent, the Federal Court is entering relatively new territory in the site-blocking era, as it ordered internet service providers Monday to block websites that allow people to turn streaming music videos into free downloadable audio files.
Trade group Music Canada brought the action on behalf of its members, including Sony, Universal, and Warner, which targeted such “stream ripping” websites that allow users to input URLs of music videos from YouTube and turn them into downloadable and permanent MP3 files.
“The stream ripping platforms operated by the John Doe Respondents circumvent the security measures implemented by YouTube in order…
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