MONTREAL – The Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) and its partners — Telus, Bell, Rogers and Vidéotron — are proud to announce that the deployment of the 4G LTE mobile network is now complete in all 68 stations and 71 km of tunnels that make up Montréal’s metro system.
With the Jolicoeur, Monk and Angrignon stations connected today, this complex project, launched in 2013, has now been completed within its stated schedule, scope and budget, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The project involved an investment of nearly $50 million—funded in equal parts by telecommunications providers Telus (which was…
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TORONTO — As a follow-up to the release of its global 2020 Connectivity Outlook Report in September, BAI Communications this week released Toronto-specific data from the report, which shows a high percentage of Toronto rail users are interested in 5G connectivity and think they would benefit from an “evolved” transit network.
Specifically, 79% of rail users in Toronto said they are interested in 5G networks and connectivity, according to BAI Communications’ Toronto report, which was based on a survey of 498 rail users in Toronto aged 18+, during April 17-25, 2020.
Of the total Toronto rail users surveyed, 88%…
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TORONTO — RiverTV, VMedia’s live and on-demand streaming TV service which launched in June, today revealed the results of its first national customer satisfaction survey which shows Canadian cord cutters still like to watch live television.
Almost 90% of the 1,400 RiverTV subscribers who completed the online survey were cord cutters, and more than 60% of total survey respondents said their number one favourite thing about the RiverTV service is the ability to watch live television, according to VMedia’s press release announcing the survey results.
In addition to live television, RiverTV’s app-based streaming platform offers thousands of hours of on-demand…
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TORONTO — With Canada now deep into the second wave of Covid-19, Rogers Communications today announced it is extending its services to organizations supporting vulnerable Canadians, with thousands of previously donated devices, voice and data plans extended by an additional six months.
During the first wave of the pandemic, Rogers helped to support vulnerable women and children, youth and LGBTQ2S+ communities through various partnerships with Women’s Shelters Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, 360 Kids, Durham Children’s Aid Foundation, The 519, LGBT Youthline, Qmunity, GRIS Montreal and Pflag Canada.
With today’s announcement, organizations such as Women’s Shelters Canada, Big Brothers…
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GATINEAU — Edmonton’s Akash Broadcasting today received approval from the CRTC to acquire the ethnic radio station CKER-FM (World FM 101.7) from Rogers Sports and Media and to obtain a new broadcasting licence to continue the station’s operation.
However, Akash’s request for an exception to the payment of tangible benefits resulting from the transaction, due to the economic impact of Covid-19, has been denied by the Commission in its decision today.
This will be Akash’s first radio station in Edmonton. It currently owns and operates CJCN-FM in Surrey, B.C., also a commercial ethnic radio station. The broadcaster has said…
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VANCOUVER — Global News announced yesterday it has hired Bhupinder Hundal (above) as news director and station manager of Global BC.
Joining the station on December 15, Hundal succeeds Jill Krop who stepped down from the role earlier this fall.
With almost two decades of media experience, Hundal most recently held the position of senior producer of television news for CBC Vancouver. Prior to that role, he founded CrossConnect Media, a consulting company designed to enhance the profile of mainstream news organizations in ethnic communities.
From 2014 to 2018, Hundal was well-known for his contributions to Rogers Media’s Hockey Night in Canada:…
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TORONTO — On Giving Tuesday, the Salvation Army Canada and Rogers Communications announced Canadians now have a touchless digital giving option to safely donate to the annual Christmas Kettles Campaign.
Powered by the Rogers LTE-M network, hundreds of the Salvation Army’s signature Christmas kettles will be equipped with “touchless giving” technology from Canadian start-up tiptap, allowing Canadians to “tap to give” using a credit card or smartphone. At the kettles this year, Canadians will see a pre-set donation amount of $5, with an option to tap up to 10 times to increase their donation on the spot, if desired.
“This…
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OTTAWA — Consumer complaints to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) decreased 19% this year compared to last, according to the organization’s 2019-20 annual report released this morning.
This is the first year-over-year decline in the number of complaints reaching the CCTS since the 2015-16 fiscal year, says this year’s report, which covers the period from August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020.
In total, 15,868 complaints were filed this year, with 89% of them being successfully resolved by the parties following CCTS’s intervention. These complaints raised almost 43,000 issues, with the most common complaints related to billing problems,…
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“If you think it’s right, just keep at it”
COLETTE WATSON IS ONE of the most accomplished Canadian broadcasters in history and despite her voluntary departure from Rogers earlier this year, she’s not done.
Watson (above) left her position as senior vice-president of television and broadcast operations in June and left behind a legacy of success. Recent wins included her team’s successful lobbying of the CRTC to let vertically-integrated companies move funds from community TV to over-the-air TV (which, along with cost-cutting, made CityTV profitable again), and shocking many by winning OMNI Television a new must-carry licence, securing its future.
These were…
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MONTREAL — Music service provider and broadcaster Stingray is growing its audience reach with the launch today of multiple SVOD and free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels with a number of providers around the world.
On the SVOD side, Stingray Classica is launching on new partner OneHub TV in the U.K. and existing partner Rogers in Canada; Stingray Karaoke is now being carried by Optimum and Suddenlink by Altice (U.S.) and Swisscom blue TV(Switzerland); and Qello Concerts by Stingray has launched on Amazon Prime Video Channels (Italy and Spain), Player + (Poland) and Totalplay (Mexico). The three SVOD channels are offered…
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