TORONTO – While Rogers Wireless customers are moving to the company’s new Infinite plans in droves, the costs of such a shift had an impact on the company’s third quarter results, announced Wednesday morning.
At the end of the quarter, September 30th, the company said approximately one million of its customers had switched from their old plan to an unlimited data Rogers Infinite plan, more than three times what executives had expected. The company added 60% of those who moved to Infinite migrated up from lower priced plans.
While that has meant a marked increase in average data usage by over…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The Telecommunications Act allows the CRTC to order “telecommunications facilities to be provided, constructed, installed, altered, moved, operated, used, repaired or maintained on any property.”
Furthermore, “No Canadian carrier or distribution undertaking shall construct a transmission line on, over, under or along a highway or other public place without the consent of the municipality or other public authority having jurisdiction over the highway or other public place.”
In that context, the Commission has had to resolve conflicts that arose over the years between some municipalities and carriers. The general rule is a municipality is compensated for its costs incurred…
Continue Reading
But it may have support to change that CoL from other Canadian BDUs
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal this week refused to hear Vidéotron’s appeal of its condition of license which requires it to take part in a new ratings system using set top box data from all large pay TV providers.
Earlier this year, the Quebecor-owned BDU pulled out of the industry working group which is tasked with making the set top viewer data part of the ratings of the television industry in Canada and in May, as we reported, the company asked the…
Continue Reading
Competition Bureau has its worries, too
GATINEAU – In the summer Rogers Wireless introduced 36-month device financing plans into the Canadian wireless marketplace.
The service providers which introduced these new plans (Telus quickly followed suit, and then Bell and Ice Wireless had begun or where about to launch three-year device plans) were hailed by some as increasing smartphone affordability and generally being pro-consumer. Others hailed in the opposite direction.
On August 2nd, as we reported, the CRTC sent a letter to providers to cease that practice and then on August 30th, Continue Reading
Navigation, real-time route mapping, streaming media coming for Canadian drivers
DUBLIN and TORONTO – Cubic Telecom, a connectivity management software provider for the automotive and IoT industries, and Rogers Communications today announced a collaboration geared towards delivering a connected car solution to Canadians.
The new partnership integrates Cubic Telecom’s PACE platform (Platform for Application and Connectivity Enablement) and connected car solution with the Rogers mobile network, which the companies believe will enable a high-quality connected car experience throughout Canada and the U.S.
Rogers will support connectivity for any auto manufacturer hosted on Cubic Telecom’s PACE platform, “which integrates with multiple original equipment…
Continue Reading
PHILADELPHIA – Comcast Business today announced it has signed an access agreement with Kamloops-based iTel Networks in order for the American communications giant to deliver managed broadband services to its U.S.-based enterprise customers with a presence in Canada.
Comcast’s press release says it will leverage iTel Networks’ vendor relationships to expand its business footprint and support its U.S.-based enterprise customers’ locations in Canada with its managed broadband offering. It's not expected at this time to compete for Canadian business customers against existing partners like Shaw, Rogers and Videotron.
“Our enterprise solutions team has uncovered a wealth of opportunities for Comcast Business…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Media’s Frequency Podcast Network announced today it will launch an eight-part investigative podcast series which explores former Toronto mayor the late Rob Ford’s rise to power.
The series will open with two episodes on October 31st, the anniversary of the day Toronto Police Services confirmed it was in possession of video evidence of Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine, reads the press release, with weekly episodes to follow.
The Gravy Train is an original investigative podcast exploring Ford’s rise to power while at the same time revealing how politics and media were changing at the same time,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Today, Rogers Communications will start bringing its products right to its customers.
Rogers Pro On-the-Go is a new, personalized retail service which aims to make buying a wireless device more convenient, and easy. Within hours of ordering, a connected solutions pro will meet a customer at their time and location of choice, with their device, and will set it up for them based on their preferences.
Launching first with phones and to current Rogers wireless customers in the GTA, Rogers Pro On-the-Go brings “the store to your door,” all at no extra cost, says the press release.
This should be…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — Canada’s broadcasters are committing themselves to achieving gender parity in TV and film production, where 50% of key creative roles will be held by women by 2025.
On Tuesday, the CRTC posted the results so far from its Women in Production initiative to promote gender parity, which included the formation of a steering committee and the convening of a summit in December 2018 that brought together executives from Canada’s largest public and private broadcasters. Those broadcasters have now published their respective action plans for achieving gender parity in key creative positions, such as producer, director, writer, showrunner,…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Reactions were quick after the Federal Court’s Friday announcement to grant a temporary stay of the CRTC’s third party internet access rates decision.
On September 13, the cable companies (Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Vidéotron and Eastlink) filed a leave to appeal CRTC Telecom Order 2019-288, which lowered the rates independent ISPs must pay to access incumbent networks and forced those incumbents to reimburse the independents hundreds of millions of retroactive fees. They also requested an interim stay of the CRTC Order, request that was granted on September 27.
“We’re disappointed that the…
Continue Reading