Rogers announced Tuesday it successfully trialled Ericsson’s 5G Cloud-Radio Access Network (Cloud RAN) technology during the Toronto Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre on Canada Day, marking the first time the technology has been deployed over a commercial network at a live event in Canada.
Rogers says this technology builds on its national standalone 5G core network, launched commercially in 2022.
“Cloud-native technology is a critical component in the next generation of wireless networks and we are proud to have completed Canada’s first deployment of 5G Cloud RAN technology at a major live…
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By Ahmad Hathout
One of the major contention points throughout the CRTC’s proceeding to bring online streamers under its ambit is now the subject of a judicial review application at the Federal Court of Appeal, as the Canadian affliate of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) hopes the court will hear its argument that foreign streamers shouldn’t have to contribute to a news fund from which its members derive no benefit.
As part of the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, the regulator issued a proposed order early last month that foreign streamers making $25 million or more must…
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A request by Rogers to postpone the completion date for its transport fibre project in Bruce Station, Ont., by 10 and a half months has been approved by the CRTC.
The project, which is receiving funding through the CRTC’s Broadband Fund, was previously granted a six-month extension by the commission in January. Rogers had said the additional time was needed to mitigate the discovery of asbestos at one of the project sites. As a condition of the funding, the project was originally supposed to be completed by February 2024.
In its…
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By Connie Thiessen
Bell Media is seeking an injunction against Rogers Sports & Media, attempting to quash its competitor’s ability to broadcast some Warner Bros. Discovery content, starting next year.
Rogers announced earlier this month it had acquired the brand and content licencing rights to Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of English-language U.S. lifestyle and factual brands in Canada, including HGTV, The Food Network, Magnolia Network, The Cooking Channel, and OWN – which are currently operated by Corus Entertainment – and Discovery, MotorTrend, Science, Animal Planet and ID (Investigation Discovery), the rights to which have long been held by Bell.
Beginning in January 2025, Rogers would become the home of that programming in Canada, making it available on…
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Rogers announced Wednesday it has launched a new grants program, Rogers Youth Grants, which will invest $3 million in Canadian non-profit and charitable organizations that provide educational and employment programs for youth aged 12-29, with a focus on equity-deserving youth.
Rogers says this is its largest annual investment in grants to date and will support an estimated 100,000 young people over the next year.
Applications are now open until July 26, 2024, for organizations to apply for regional grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to support programming for the 2024-2025…
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Rogers Sports and Media said Tuesday Sportsnet’s coverage of Monday night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 delivered the sports network’s most-watched broadcast ever with an average minute audience of 7.55 million across Sportsnet, Citytv and CBC.
Game 7 — which saw the Florida Panthers capture their first NHL championship in franchise history by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 — reached 15 million Canadians, or 39 per cent of the population, according to a press release. The broadcast was the second most-watched NHL game ever in Canada, based on data since 2009, the release says.
It was also the…
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Rogers Communications and Disney Entertainment announced Tuesday the ad-supported version of Disney+ is now available to Rogers TV customers as part of their eligible Ignite TV package at no additional cost.
“We want to deliver more value to our customers and create a more seamless viewing experience,” Bret Leech, president of residential services at Rogers, said in a press release. “By integrating Disney+, we’re adding even more value to our entertainment packages and making it easier than ever for customers to enjoy the shows and movies they love.”
“Rogers is one of our most valued and long-standing Canadian…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is seeking a contractor to analyze the wireline transport market, as it prepares to make a decision on an updated wholesale internet access framework.
According to the procurement document, dated Thursday, the regulator is looking for a contractor to draft a definition of wholesale wireline high-speed transport services market, which should “allow for upcoming technological changes.”
It is also seeking an analysis of the group of products that consumers would consider to be substitutes for the service and an assessment of the geographic area in which a customer purchases a service and “whether or not a customer…
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Videotron says no undue preference or disadvantage
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is alleging Videotron has refused to allow the cable giant to audit its subscriber information for the purposes of determining whether it’s paying a proper rate of access for Rogers’s OMNI Regional programming.
The comments come in an intervention supporting a complaint by not-for-profit media company Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), which alleges Videotron is forcing it to sign a pre-audit memorandum of understanding (MOU) before AMI is allowed to analyze Videotron’s subscriber records. The problem, according to AMI, is that the MOU includes language that turns bulk subscribers from institutions like…
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A day after Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) launched a consultation on a proposed new spectrum policy that would open up certain mobile spectrum bands for use by satellite service providers to expand wireless services in unserved areas of Canada, Montreal-based mobile satellite operator Terrestar Solutions is calling on the country’s regulators and industry stakeholders to support and collaborate on its rollout of a national direct-to-mobile satellite service network.
As part of its proposed new policy, ISED is considering issuing supplemental mobile coverage by satellite (SMCS) licences to both Canadian and foreign satellite operators seeking…
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