TORONTO – While recent events, including the possible entry of US behemoth Verizon into Canada and Monday’s cabinet shuffle, have left many in the investment community wondering how these will affect the regulatory landscape, the telecom sector won’t see an impact on the bottom line just yet.
Financial results for the second quarter of 2013 will not reflect any of these regulatory concerns, says BMO Capital Markets Second analyst Tim Casey.
“We expect Verizon will continue to quietly negotiate with the owners of the existing new entrants – Wind and Mobilicity – with…
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DARTMOUTH, NS – Newcap Inc. has agreed to sell its CHFT-FM radio station in Fort McMurray, Alta., to Harvard Broadcasting Inc., the company announced today. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.
“This was a unique situation in a market where two stand-alone stations were up against a competitor with two FMs,” said Newcap president and CEO Rob Steele of the announcement. “It made sense for one of us to acquire the other to make the market a level playing field. We would like to thank all our employees for their dedication and support over the…
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TORONTO – With Wednesday’s announcement that Mobilicity has entered into talks with new potential buyers, it’s a likely possibility that any offer for the struggling carrier would be considerably lower than the $380 million Telus was willing to pay to acquire Mobilicity before that deal was rejected by the federal government.
That’s a scenario that Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan had suggested may happen back in May. Of today’s news, Fan told Cartt.ca in an email that if there is a deal it is likely not as ideal, as the price may be “too low…
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VICTORIA, B.C. – Vecima Networks Inc. announced Monday that Inukshuk Wireless Partnership has agreed to drop the lawsuit filed against the company last December after Vecima sold some of its 3.5 GHz radio spectrum licenses to Inukshuk for $4 million.
Inukshuk alleged in its legal proceedings that Vecima broke a previous agreement to sell some of its radio spectrum to Inukshuk. As part of the sale, Inukshuk has agreed to dismiss the legal action filed against Vecima in the Ontario Superior Court.
In a July 2012 press release Vecima estimated the…
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TORONTO – Rogers is hoping the results of a study released Thursday of its internet speeds by an independent broadband performance tester will provide legitimate proof to customers of its high-speed claims.
The study, based on data collected in customer homes by UK-based SamKnows Ltd., was commissioned by Rogers as part of a series of initiatives to help customers be confident that they are in fact getting the download speeds that they are paying for.
The SamKnows study reported that Rogers delivered on average 100 per cent or more on both uploads and downloads…
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DARTMOUTH, N.S. – Newcap Inc. announced Thursday it will acquire the broadcasting license for radio station CHNI-FM in Saint John, N.B., from Rogers, pending approval from the CRTC.
“This licence is a great fit for our company as it expands our presence in New Brunswick and represents our entry into the Saint John market. We are eager to serve and become part of the community,” Newcap president and CEO Rob Steele said of the announcement.
Newcap, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newfoundland Capital Corporation, has 88 radio broadcasting licenses across Canada.
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TORONTO – On Wednesday Rogers announced a new customer loyalty program that it hopes will keep customers from switching to rival carriers will launch in key markets this year.
Eligible customers will be notified and enrolled in the Rogers First Rewards program as it becomes available in their region. Customer can earn points on eligible purchases which can be redeemed online for a selection of Rogers products and services from the Rogers First Rewards catalogue. Rogers says the program comes with no blackout periods or fees.
Rewards, which will vary depending on the customer’s region,…
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TORONTO – A group of Canadian telcos, including Rogers, Bell, and Telus, have filed a court motion seeking leave to appeal from certain sections of the CRTC’s wireless code they say are unclear about when the code actually comes into effect.
In a motion filed by the Big Three, along with MTS Inc., NorthernTel, SaskTel, Télébec, and Société en Commandite, the companies contend that the CRTC overstepped its jurisdiction by attempting to make the code “retrospectively applicable” to wireless contracts that were created before the code comes into effect on December 2, 2013.
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TORONTO – Corus Entertainment announced Tuesday the appointment of Chris “Dunner” Duncombe as director of new media for Corus Radio.
In his new role, Duncombe will provide overall strategic leadership and management to Corus Radio’s new media activities across the country. Most recently, he was senior brand director of 99.3 The FOX and director of interactive media at Corus Radio Vancouver. Before joining Corus, Dunner was director of marketing and an on-air announcer for Rogers Media Broadcasting for 104.9 XFM.
Duncombe is also a multiple Canadian Music Week award winner and recipient of the BDS…
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TORONTO – Reaction to last week’s news of Verizon’s entry into the Canadian wireless market has sent Telus and Rogers shares into decline, while market caps for BCE, Shaw, Bell Aliant and MTS have increased – a move that Canaccord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose calls “baffling.”
Ghose says Rogers and Telus were oversold based on the perceived risk of Verizon entering Canada. Rogers and Telus shares have dropped 10.3% and 12.1%, respectively since June 17, when the Globe and Mail first reported Verizon was looking at getting into the Canadian market by purchasing Wind Mobile. In…
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