$10 million not enough of a deterrent, Péladeau says
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The maximum fine of $10 million for a first offence available to the CRTC to impose on violators of its rules is not enough for Bell Canada, Quebecor president and CEO Pierre-Karl Péladeau said Tuesday.
“I’m sorry to say this, it’s like a drop of water in the ocean,” he said Tuesday evening in an appearance in front of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, which is studying spending on large projects. “It doesn’t amount to much for a company like them…to delay the competition, it…
Continue Reading
Company chair Edward Rogers lays out Shaw purchase positives for investors
By Greg O’Brien
TORONTO — Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Rogers Communications today reported good results from its first quarter ended March 31, with revenue gains in its cable and media business units, although wireless service revenue was down compared to the same quarter last year.
Of course, there is more news than that orbiting the wireless, broadband, cable and media giant. While the company had so far been mostly mum on the recent new wireless policies announced by the CRTC (where the headline was mandated, regional, facilities-based MVNOs…
Continue Reading
EXTON, PA — The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), a subsidiary of CableLabs, announced today the appointment of a newly formed board of directors, which includes two Canadian executives.
The new board was approved on April 9 and is led by chairwoman Stephanie Mitchko-Beale, executive vice-president and chief technology officer of Charter Communications. The new board members start their two-year term effective today.
Appointed as secretary of the board is Ron McKenzie, senior vice-president of technical operations at Rogers Communications. The other Canadian board member is Damian Poltz, senior vice-president of wireline technologies and strategy at Shaw Communications.
The 14-member board…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications said this afternoon it will be crediting its customers for its nationwide wireless outage yesterday.
“We know our customers depend on us and yesterday we let them down – for this we are truly sorry,” said a company statement.
“A credit equivalent to yesterday’s wireless service fee will be applied to a future bill. This will be done automatically, and no action is required by our customers,” it continued.
As noted yesterday, the company identified the problem as an issue stemming from a recent software upgrade from its primary vendor, Ericsson, “that affected a piece of equipment…
Continue Reading
Recent Ericsson software update impacted wireless equipment in central network
TORONTO — After a day-long network outage that started early this morning affecting customers nationwide, Rogers Communications issued an explanation just before 6 pm. ET this evening, saying “it may take us several hours to get everything back up and running normally,” according to a statement from Jorge Fernandes, Rogers’s chief technology officer.
“We have identified the root cause of the service issues and pinpointed a recent Ericsson software update that affected a piece of equipment in the central part of our wireless network. That led to intermittent congestion and…
Continue Reading
CRTC focuses on accelerating regional carrier network builds. Eyes now on Cogeco if regulatory conditions satisfy mobile entry
By Ahmad Hathout
GATINEAU – In requiring the country’s largest telecommunications companies to negotiate access to its wireless network with regional carriers, the CRTC has signaled its desire to bolster the fourth players and help accelerate the expansion and deployment of those networks, the Commission’s head Ian Scott said Thursday.
But the Regulator will not require those regional carriers to come to commercial arrangements with smaller players on that leased capacity, with Scott only saying they are permitted to do so.
In essence, Thursday’s decision…
Continue Reading
INTERNET SPEED TESTING pioneer Ookla released its latest test wireline and wireless broadband speed results for a number of markets around the world, including Canada, and its fair to say just about every carrier won something.
Rogers, for example, ranked as Canada’s most consistent national wireless and broadband provider with a score of 88.7%, and had the fastest internet in Ontario and New Brunswick
Telus was the fastest mobile operator with a speed score of 87.54 and tied for first with the lowest latency at 6 ms on the wired internet side.
Freedom Mobile won the median latency crown on the wireless…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC today decided to mandate mobile virtual network operators for the Canadian wireless market – as long as companies who want to be one already own and operate network facilities and Tier 4 or higher (3, 2, 1) spectrum.
The Commission is calling it “wholesale facilities-based MVNO access service” and the decision also makes it clear this new “wholesale roaming policy applies to fifth-generation (5G) networks. This confirmation is important to help ensure that competition can continue to grow as the mobile wireless service market evolves to 5G.”
In short, that means companies with existing facilities like…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications said today it expanded its 5G network into Selkirk and Steinbach, Manitoba, and St. Catharines, Ontario – and it was used it to direct the flight of a drone.
Rogers’s 5G network now reaches 173 cities and towns and is the largest 5G network in Canada.
The niftier bit of the announcement is Rogers for Business worked with InDro Robotics and the University of British Columbia’s MéridaLabs on Canada’s first remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) flight over a 5G network at the UBC campus in Vancouver.
The company said this shows 5G “will enable the ability to fly…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced Thursday its consolidated revenue increased by 1.8% to $1.39 billion in the second quarter ended February 28, 2021, as compared to the prior year’s Q2.
Its adjusted EBITDA increased 6.2% year-over-year to $637 million and net income increased 29.9% to $217 million. Second quarter results do not include any costs or financial impacts from the proposed transaction with Rogers, says the press release.
The company did not hold a conference call with financial analysts and the messaging in its press release was heavy on the merger.
“Our country has been a leader in building and operating…
Continue Reading
