LONDON, UK – With the 5G era on the horizon, all three of Canada's national mobile operators averaged impressive download speeds across their mobile broadband networks, but Telus has taken the lead for 4G availability, says OpenSignal in its most recent Mobile Networks Experience: Canada report.
The wireless mapping coverage company examined close to 1.16 billion measurements collected from 161,672 total devices between October 1 and December 29, 2018 in its update on Canada, released Thursday.
According to the report, Bell and Telus were tied in 4G availability rankings throughout 2018, not surprising given their long-standing infrastructure sharing deal that effectively…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers said Tuesday that it has upgraded its wireless service in parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Alberta as part of its multi-year network plan to bring gigabit LTE and 5G to its customers.
The upgrades will impact Rogers and Fido customers in Moncton and outside of Fredericton; in Halifax, Bedford and on Hwy 101 near Bridgetown; in the Quebec cities of Gatineau, Boischatel, Québec City, Montréal, St-Eustache, Blainville and Terrebonne; and in four locations in Alberta including Belgravia in Edmonton, Strathcona Athletic Park, as well as several areas in Lethbridge including Willowbrook and Fleetwood.
The enhancements…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Stakeholders wishing to weigh in on the new production report set to replace the programs of national interest (PNI) report completed by the large English- and French-language ownership groups now have an extra month to prepare their comments.
The CRTC said Monday that comments will now due by March 6, 2019, and not February 6 as it said last month.
The move comes in response to a joint procedural request from the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada, the Quebec English-Language Production Council, the English-Language Arts Network and On Screen Manitoba, as well as a joint procedural request from…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – CRTC submissions are sometimes entertaining when issues are significant, potentially polarizing and wildly debated.
However, and as we indicated previously, this new proceeding into the establishment of an Internet Code of Conduct is mostly incremental in its scope, since a lot of issues have been dealt with in prior proceedings (and in other codes).
Maybe that’s why Bell, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services, provincial governments, unions and consumer groups have not bothered at this stage.
No reply phase is complete without an incumbent taking a swipe at the Competition Bureau, though. In this case…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CTAM Canada unveiled its new board and committee members last week at its annual President’s Reception in Toronto.
A volunteer driven chapter of CTAM, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, CTAM Canada has over 500 members across Canada and abroad, representing content providers, cable and telecommunications distributors as well as technology and service companies.
CTAM Canada's new and returning members for 2019 are:
President– Julie Kumaria (Hollywood Suite)
Vice President– Michelle Vaters (Corus Entertainment)
Treasurer– Don McDonald (Super Channel)
Secretary– Kayleigh Hennessey (Rogers Communications)
Sponsorship Co-Chair– Norm Lem…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has waded in to an ongoing dispute between the city of Calgary and a group of big telco carriers over a municipal rights-of-way bylaw and a proposed municipal consent and access agreement (MCAA).
The Commission said Friday that it was turning down an application by the city seeking a declaration and determination that certain telecommunications carriers may rely upon Calgary’s rights-of-way bylaw for the performance of their obligations under section 43 of the Telecommunications Act, which deals with access to infrastructure.
The decision also approved certain terms and conditions of an MCAA between Calgary and…
Continue Reading
CEO Natale says 2018 yielded “terrific results”
TORONTO – Rogers credited growth in its wireless division – including 112,000 net additions – for gains in revenue and profits for the fourth quarter of 2018.
On Thursday, Rogers posted profit of $502 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, a 1% lift from the same period last year, while adjusted net income jumped 11% to $585 million as a result of higher adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization.
Total revenue increased 6% to $3.94 billion, largely driven by Wireless service revenue growth of 5%, which Rogers said came as…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Waving the red and white flag, Rogers said Thursday that it contributed $14 billion to the Canadian economy last year, including $2.8 billion in infrastructure, and employed 26,000 Canadians.
“Investment in our country’s infrastructure is essential to our nation’s competitive advantage on the world stage,” said president and CEO Joe Natale, in the news release. “As a Canadian-owned company, we are proud to invest meaningfully to make our country stronger and more successful.”
Touting accomplishments such as the launch of its IPTV service Ignite TV and the rollout of one Gigabit Internet speeds to its residential customer base, Rogers…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – With just days to go before Bell Let's Talk Day on January 30, Bell issued a public thank you to the Canadian organizations supporting the initiative and promoting its messages around mental health.
"Everyone's engagement in mental health is crucial to making progress, and we can all join the conversation on Bell Let's Talk Day by sending messages of support to fight the stigma, call for action and directly drive Bell's funding for mental health programs”, said Bell Let's Talk chair Mary Deacon, in the news release. “We're grateful to these leading organizations for encouraging everyone to get engaged in the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – With a winter storm blowing outside, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association hosted 300 delegates for its third 5G Conference at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
The focus of this year’s event was the tremendous potential for 5G to impact all sectors of the Canadian economy. Delegates were provided with the current status of 5G and what it means for Canada.
Touting Canada’s position as a “4G Superpower”, CWTA president and CEO Robert Ghiz emphasised that Canada is well positioned for the launch of 5G. That said, numerous challenges remain as the next generation of wireless technology ramps up.
Tejas…
Continue Reading