TORONTO – Near Field Communication (NFC). Machine to Machine (M2M). Internet of Things (IoT). Different phrases, different acronyms, same concept – wireless device-to-device connectivity that enables contactless communications, most notably today for mobile commerce.
With so many different definitions buzzing around, “it’s very noisy and it’s very confusing,” said Manoj Jain, communications and media sector leader for Microsoft Canada, who appeared along with other wireless device experts on a panel called “Rage of the Machine” at the Canadian Telecom Summit on Wednesday morning. Jain said Microsoft uses the phrase “Internet of your things” to explain the concept to its customers.
“And…
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TORONTO – It quickly became clear during Wednesday morning’s panel discussion at the Canadian Telecom Summit that no one-size-fits-all solution exists when it comes to implementing a national digital strategy that positions Canada as a key player in the global digital marketplace.
The arguments for the digitization of Canada’s economy are wide-ranging, said moderator Namir Anani, president and CEO of the Information and Communications Technology Council. “Some would argue that we need investments – without investment we can’t have technology. Others would say it’s our policies – if we don’t have the right trade policy, if we don’t have the…
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OTTAWA – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) have filed a joint application challenging the wireless device deposit programs offered by Rogers and Telus.
According to the press release, the Rogers “NEXT” and Telus “T-Up” programs require subscribers to pre-pay a monthly fee in addition to their usual service charges for at least 12 months. These payments, which range from $17 to nearly $30 a month, claims the application, go toward the partial cost of a new cellphone. If the customer stays subscribed and returns their old phone and signs a new two year contract,…
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TORONTO – Service providers should be working together, collaboratively, to build a truly integrated ecosystem for delivering next-generation, personalized customer services, said Telus CTO Ibrahim Gedeon during his Monday afternoon keynote at the Canadian Telecom Summit.
Admitting that no single service provider will ever own its clients’ end-to-end business, he added: “Not every service is 100% Telus, or CIBC, or Air Canada, or Rogers or Bell.”
He pointed out Telus was able to work with Bell and Rogers in the past on the OneAPI initiative that created a single API for the mobile industry in Canada. “How many people know that…
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TORONTO – Wholesale wireless service continues to be a prickly topic between wireless incumbents and new entrants, and quickly became a dominant theme Tuesday morning during the Canadian Telecom Summit’s annual regulatory blockbuster panel, moderated again this year by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien.
Bell, Rogers and Telus remained steadfast in their collective belief that increased regulation on wholesale wireless services will result in decreased network investments. Ken Engelhart, SVP regulatory for Rogers Communications, got that ball rolling early in the 90 minute panel, raising the matter in his opening “trite observations”.
“Wholesale regulation inevitably leads to a reduction in investment,…
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TORONTO – Wind Mobile chairman and CEO Tony Lacavera was on the attack again today during a luncheon keynote at CTS in Toronto, going after what he says are continuing anti-competitive behaviours of the big three wireless companies and suggesting further policy changes to the federal government.
However, Lacavera lifted the veil off of a range of Wind Canada financial metrics, too, today. So many in fact, it made us believe he is casting as wide a net as possible for more investors, or even preparing the company for a public offering.
Wind, as Lacavera’s speech also pointed out, is trapped….
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WATERLOO, ON – BlackBerry has signed a new three-year agreement with EnStream, a mobile payments joint venture between Bell, Rogers and Telus, to provide a secure platform that supports transaction services between banks and consumers.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the agreement, EnStream will use infrastructure to enable financial institutions, like Royal Bank, TD Bank, CIBC and Desjardins, and mobile operators to securely provision sensitive payment card credentials into any smartphone capable of near field communication.
BlackBerry said that given its requirements for security, the mobile payments space continues to be an area of focus. The company…
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TORONTO – The number of people who now spend their hard-earned cash to pay for time – and the number of businesses which have sprung up to serve them – highlights how the entire telecom industry must shift and show Canadians that it, too, not only respects their precious time, but can give some of it back.
In his first ever speech to the Canadian Telecom Summit, Rogers Communications CEO Guy Laurence departed from the standard executive speech at these sorts of functions (often just a bit of information smothered by a lengthy commercial for the brand). That was not…
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VANCOUVER – Rogers Communications has announced a planned investment of over $450 million in British Columbia over the next three years to expand its wireless network in over 70 communities in the northeast, Interior, Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island.
As part of this investment, Rogers said that it will also enhance existing LTE connections with 700 MHz spectrum to allow rural and urban customers to access the Internet in even more places, including deep into buildings, elevators and basements. When complete, Rogers will have invested $2 billion in its network in B.C.
"We believe in the growth and future of B.C….
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TORONTO – It’s not too late to register for the 2014 Canadian Telecom Summit which will kick off Monday at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto.
Now in its 13th year, the event has grown to become Canada's most important annual telecommunications and IT event, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the world.
In addition to more than a dozen keynote addresses and some 50 panelists, the confab will include the popular Regulatory Blockbuster, moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien, plus keynotes from industry heavyweights such as Rogers’ president and CEO Guy Laurence, Shaw EVP and COO Jay Mehr,…
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