IMAGINE TUNING INTO the World Series on Rogers Sportsnet and a little bar popped up on the bottom of your TV screen that said “buffering…” or that you saw some stalled pixelated nonsense on your big HDTV set, instead of the first pitch.
Most of us, used to decades of easy viewing, of turning on the TV and the video is stable, reliable and clear, would lose it. Our expectations, when we want to be entertained with a TV show, are high. We can’t stand technical interruptions and those high expectations are carried with us as we try to watch…
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GATINEAU – Yak Communications and Wind Mobile (both of which are owned by Globalive) believe that equal access on wireline and wireless may have outlived its useful purpose. Representatives for the companies made the comments before the CRTC on Wednesday as part its interconnection hearing.
Ed Antecol, VP of regulatory and carrier relations for both Yak and Wind, reiterated comments made on Tuesday by Rogers that the cost of doing equal access long distance for wireless doesn’t make economic sense. Yak connects to four Fido switches, yet derives a very small amount of monthly revenue – about $6,000 – from…
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TORONTO – Profits at Rogers rose 29% in the third quarter, ended September 30, while net income was $491 million, up from $380 million in the same period last year. Operating revenue increased to $3.15 billion from $3.11 billion.
Wireless data revenue growth grew by 28% and net post-paid subscriber additions totalled 74,000, helping drive wireless data revenue to comprise 36% of wireless network revenue. During the quarter, the company activated and upgraded 609,000 additional smart phones, of which approximately 42% were for new subscribers, compared to 529,000 in the prior year quarter. Smart phone subscribers, who typically generate ARPU nearly twice…
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TORONTO – After announcing its third quarter results on Wednesday morning, Rogers also said that CFO Bill Linton will retire next year. He will be replaced by Anthony Staffieri.
Before joining Rogers, Linton (pictured) was president and CEO of Call-Net Enterprises, later Sprint Canada, which was acquired by Rogers Communications in July 2005. His experience in the communications and technology sector also includes CFO of Rogers Cantel and chairman and CEO of Prior Data Services.
Linton will transition responsibility for the finance function…
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TORONTO – Corus Entertainment and Astral Media both finalized multi-year deals with NBCUniversal Television Canada Tuesday for the linear and non-linear rights to numerous titles from the Hollywood studio and content provider.
Corus said that the deal means that big screen hits such as Little Fockers, The Adjustment Bureau, Bridesmaids and the upcoming release Tower Heist will be featured on its Movie Central service in 2011 and 2012.
Astral’s agreement includes first-window titles such as Little Fockers, Hop, The Adjustment Bureau and Fast Five which will be available to subscribers of The Movie Network, Mpix and Super Ecran. In addition, new releases will first…
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GATINEAU – Rogers Communications says the cost and effort required to implement equal access for a wireless CLECs is not worth imposing a similar regulatory requirement on other wireless service providers (WSPs).
Speaking during the second day of the CRTC’s hearing into the interconnection regimes, Rogers VP of regulatory telecommunications David Watt said it’s time for the Commission to allow WSPs to connect to local exchange carriers (LECs) on a shared-basis and benefit from bill and keep, yet not be required to implement equal access for long distance services.
This would constitute a fourth way for WSPs to connect to LECs,…
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TORONTO – It’s generally accepted among those who work in radio in Canada (and those who observe it) that the industry is still pretty strong. Despite predictions of its demise and the general weakness in the radio business south of the border, Canadian radio companies have continued to see modest growth over the years.
“Why is that?” was one of the questions asked last week during the President’s Panel at the Ontario Association of Broadcasters conference held in Toronto last Thursday.
Each of the five radio executives (Astral Radio EVP Charles Benoit, Corus Radio president Chris Pandoff, Rogers Radio CEO Paul…
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GATINEAU – Mandating Internet Protocol interconnection for voice services is unnecessary because doing so will not bring any additional benefits to consumers, three of the country’s incumbent telcos told the CRTC during its first day of hearings into the interconnection regime.
In its opening remarks, Bell Canada said that “no regulatory intervention is required to push the market towards IP interconnection” and that “the market will naturally drive this migration without any need for regulatory intervention,” explained Jonathan Daniels, VP of regulatory law at Bell.
He acknowledged that the company’s network is capable of providing IP voice to most of its…
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TORONTO – Canadian telephone companies long sought a way to deliver a TV experience to their customers.
Bell Canada opted early on for a satellite solution, having come to realize during many technical trials during the 1990s that delivering a quality TV experience on par with what cable could offer was still years away.
Other Canadian telcos continued to test the delivery of digital television signals using various technological options through the 1990s and early 2000s. Cost, inefficient compression technology, and the physical limitations of the telco plant all held back viable solutions to the telephone company’s missing link when it…
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OTTAWA – The real battle of the CRTC’s interconnection hearing that starts next week is going to be over whether the new entrant wireless service providers and long distance carriers are able to connect to incumbent and competitor networks at lower costs. In its consultation document, the Commission has asked the telecommunications industry if it would benefit from a consolidated interconnection regime rather than the current situation with three separate regimes: one for each the competitive local exchange carriers, wireless service providers and long distance or toll traffic carriers. Under the current rules, CLECs are…
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