TORONTO – Saying it will improve its enterprise-level data centre and cloud computing services, as well as its fibre-based network connectivity services, Rogers Communications announced today that it has bought Blackiron Data from Primus Telecommunications Group for $200 million in cash.
Blackiron Data is a pure-play provider of data centre and cloud computing services with eight data centres in five major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, London, Edmonton and Vancouver. Last year it reported revenue of US$33.7 million and EBITDA of US$13 million. Its 132 employees will join Rogers.
“The cloud…
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TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have teamed up with Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) to offer at least 16 game broadcasts with live described video, making them the first professional sports organization to gear broadcasts towards audiences who are blind or partially sighted.
Speaking Wednesday evening at a CTAM Canada event at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, David Errington, president and CEO of AMI, praised the Canadian broadcasting for its commitment to accessibility and outlined his company’s goal to add more live events to its schedule. “When we do our research with our consumers, they want to consume media just…
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THE SIZE OF GLOBAL cable companies has always been defined by the number of basic cable customers they have. For decades, basic cable has been the first buy-in for any household wanting more than the TV channels they can capture off-air.
That, however, is changing. Today’s customers often want to talk about broadband first because increasingly, they want their web and e-mail before their favourite shows. Besides, they can often find those favourite shows online via that broadband connection, negating the need for traditional cable TV service of any kind, depending on what sort of entertainment they like.
Shaw Communications CFO…
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TORONTO – To help raise awareness of Israel’s 65th Independence Day, Ethnic Channels Group is offering a free preview of The Israeli Network from April 15 to May 14.
ECG says the channel is the only Israeli broadcast entity which reaches out to the English speaking Jewish demographics while adding English subtitles to the Hebrew speaking programs. The channel maintains a diverse spectrum of programming from Israel’s most popular channels.
The Israeli Network broadcasts in Canada on Rogers Channel 899 and Bell Fibe Channel 897.
www.ethnicchannels.com
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DURING A SHORT, Monday morning interview with reporters during a visit to Asia to extoll the virtues of the Canadian ICT sector (and others), Industry Minister Christian Paradis noted he wasn’t exactly pleased with Rogers Communications pending purchase of Shaw Communications’ AWS spectrum.
Shaw bought the spectrum in 2008 during that auction but decided not to build a traditional wireless network after all. As spectrum which was set aside for new wireless entrants, the auction rules said it is not allowed to be purchased by one of the incumbent providers until next year. However, Shaw has already Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Communications Inc. reported today that consolidated revenue for its second quarter and for the year to date was $1.25 billion and $2.57 billion, respectively, each up 2% over the comparable periods last year.
Net income was $182 million for Q2 FY2013 and $417 million for the six months ended February 28, 2013, compared to $178 million and $380 million respectively for the same periods last year. Total operating income before amortization increased 9% to $538 million over the comparable quarterly period, and the year-to-date amount of $1.14 billion was up 8%.
Free…
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Ron Osborne, the longtime Canadian media and telecom executive who began his career as a chartered accountant, died suddenly on Monday in Florida. The 66-year-old Osborne was described in an announcement put out by Postmedia (where he was chairman of the board) as a “rare breed of executive” whose business expertise was sought after by several Canadian private and public companies as a member of their boards of directors.
Osborne, who emigrated from the United Kingdom in 1968, joined Maclean Hunter in 1981. He worked there for 13 years, the last eight as the…
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TORONTO – In a move that is sure to make the politicos in Ottawa take notice, Wind Mobile, Public Mobile and Mobilicity today jointly announced their withdrawal from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), saying the association is biased in favour of its rivals and does not represent their interests.
The group claims the CWTA has become the “voice of big three telcos” – referring to Rogers, Bell and Telus – at the “expense of consumers and new entrant mobile service providers” and does not represent the Canadian mobile wireless sector.
“When we were first…
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OTTAWA – Competition in Canada’s wireless industry could be hampered by more stringent spectrum licence transfer regulation, new entrants and incumbents alike are telling Industry Canada.
Rogers Communications warns the department that its proposal will lead to an inefficient market where the existing secondary trading market for spectrum licences will become limited as some operators will see their options to sell spectrum holdings constrained. These new rules could “dampen new entry by increasing the risks associated with selling their business to the highest bidder if they fail to establish a viable wireless business” and “possibly result in lawsuits by aggrieved…
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WHILE THE CANADIAN launch date of Blackberry’s new Q10 smartphone is rumoured to be April 30, that hasn’t stopped several wireless carriers from announcing they are already taking pre-orders.
Rogers’ announcement was the first in Cartt.ca’s inbox this morning, in which the company says it is the first Canadian carrier to offer the new Q10 smartphone. The Q10 follows the release of Blackberry’s Z10 model on Feb. 5 and is their second smartphone to run on the company’s Blackberry 10 operating system.
While both the Z10 and Q10 smartphones run on the Blackberry 10…
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