By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday it is eliminating fees that it believes are keeping customers stuck in internet and wireless service plans.
The regulator said it is targeting fees on activation, changing and canceling of those plans – with some exceptions. The fees will continue to apply where a subsidized device is provided by the wireless service provider – which represents a real cost to the business – and in a situation where the internet service provider is doing an installation at the customer’s home.
“If you were to buy or purchase a cellphone through a service provider, we already…
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Bell has withdrawn its April 2025 undue preference complaint against Telus after the two companies recently reached an agreement regarding the distribution of Bell Media’s discretionary services Oxygen True Crime, USA Network, CTV Nature, CTV Speed and CTV Wild.
Bell had previously alleged Telus was unduly disadvantaging Bell Media’s new channels — rebranded as a result of Rogers’s blockbuster deal with Warner Bros. Discovery in June 2024 — alleging Telus had given undue preference to Rogers’s newly launched channels in some of its TV packages.
The resolution of Bell’s channel distribution…
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Rogers announced Tuesday its Fido customers are being upgraded automatically from 4G LTE to 5G at no additional cost and with no plan change required.
Starting March 10, new customers joining Fido will now get 5G included on their plan from day one, Rogers said in a press release. Existing Fido customers with 5G-compatible devices can experience the reliability and faster speeds of 5G with the automatic upgrade, which is expected to be completed March 18.
Rogers said “virtually all” Fido customers are being upgraded to 5G, except those with Basic plans or…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal has turned down an appeal by Rogers challenging two CRTC decisions forcing it to freeze movement of certain Corus channels it argued was within its contractual right to repackage and remove.
Following a hearing in September, the high court ruled Thursday that Rogers cannot change the terms of its agreement with Corus after the initiation of a dispute because that would be contrary to the standstill, which requires that the status quo be maintained until the dispute is resolved.
“If, following a dispute, Rogers could invoke any provision…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TekSavvy is once again asking the CRTC to stop Cogeco from decommissioning copper facilities it relies on to provide internet service to customers in Ontario.
In a Part 1 application made public Thursday, the largest independent internet wholesaler said it received notices from Cogeco about its move away from hybrid fibre-coaxial facilities (HFC) to pure fibre in parts of Windsor, Burlington, Kingston and its hometown of Chatham.
Until it can make a final decision on its application, TekSavvy is asking the CRTC to order an immediate suspension of any decommissioning before April 1, which is when it said it…
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By Connie Thiessen
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says Toronto’s 680 NewsRadio (CFTR-AM) should have disclosed its ownership during a Toronto Blue Jays giveaway last October.
The CBSC decision is in response to Rogers’s “Bring It Home” campaign, launched during the Blue Jays World Series run, announcing on CFTR that it would be giving away free tickets to fans for every home game. CFTR reported on the giveaway, noting that Rogers owns the baseball team. A listener later complained the station should have mentioned it is also owned by Rogers because the giveaway constituted a promotion of another Rogers-owned entity, suggesting a conflict…
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By Ahmad Hathout
SpaceX is getting broad support for its Starlink broadband satellite service to use the E-band spectrum to expand connectivity, including to Canada’s rural and remote communities.
The American aerospace company filed a request with Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in December requesting that it be able to utilize the E-band (71-76 GHz downlink and 81-86 GHz uplink) for fixed satellite service (FSS) communications between its satellites and gateway earth station located at Saint-Laurent, Quebec and Janet, Alberta, which are currently serving users via the Ka-band. The E-band is used by terrestrial wireless network providers for…
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Telus announced Tuesday it has signed a commercial agreement with Texas-based AST SpaceMobile to deliver satellite-powered cellular broadband service — including text messaging, voice calls and data — direct to everyday smartphones, starting late this year.
The satellite-to-mobile connectivity will be made possible by combining AST SpaceMobile’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation and Telus’s wireless network, enabling Telus customers to connect in areas of Canada where traditional cellular network infrastructure is not available.
As part of the agreement, Telus will invest in ground-based satellite infrastructure and become an equity shareholder in AST…
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Rogers Bank and Mastercard on Monday announced the introduction of the Rogers Red World Legend Mastercard, calling it a first-of-its-kind offering in Canada.
“We’re proud to be the first in Canada to offer the World Legend Mastercard and to provide Canadians a suite of benefits that no other card can match,” Nick Bednarz, CEO of Rogers Bank, said in a Monday press release. “With this new card, customers get more value out of their Rogers services, combined with Mastercard’s global benefits.”
Premium benefits for cardholders who are Rogers customers include…
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New wireless competitors took over half of mobile sub adds in 2024
By Ahmad Hathout
Independent wholesale-based internet service providers lost half of their market share since 2020, according to a report from the CRTC.
The market share dropped from a high of 8.4 per cent in 2020 to 4.2 per cent in 2024, according to the Canadian Telecommunications Market Report, released Tuesday. And it’s been steady in between: falling to 8 per cent in 2021, 6.1 per cent in 2022 and 5 per cent in 2023.
“With shifts in the internet service market and in…
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