TORONTO – Rogers has lowered the GB limits on some of its Internet plans, a move that has sparked speculation about whether it may be linked to the pending arrival of U.S. on-line video service Netflix, or the rumours about Hulu coming to Canada this year.
The new lower limits, which came in to effect last week, apply to new customers only. Customers who signed up for the company’s ‘Extreme’ package after July 21 are allowed 80 gigabytes of monthly usage, down from 90 for those who were already customers. Those going for the ‘Lite’ service will now get 15 GB, versus…
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INDUSTRY JOURNALIST, Cartt.ca contributor and our friend, Norma Reveler died Thursday night after a long battle with cancer. She was 46.
Norma was well known among cable, radio, television and telecom industry folks as a determined, hard working journalist who knew this industry as well as anyone.
“Norma was a terrific reporter and very committed to her craft,” said Greg O’Brien, editor and publisher of Cartt.ca. “And she loved this industry. She worked as long as she could, covering last month’s Banff TV Fest for us. She was so hopeful that she even accepted another assignment from me for next month.”
“Norma contributed…
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TORONTO – Production facilities provider Dome Productions has finalized an agreement with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. as the exclusive television mobile production facility for all Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and Toronto Marlies home games.
The deal, which took effect July 1, 2010, also provides Dome Productions with exclusivity for visiting NHL and NBA teams. The company previously provided mobile production services to MLSE from 1995 through 2007.
“As MLSE’s facilities partner, we understand the importance of not only meeting the technical specifications mandated by the sports leagues, but to continue to explore and support new initiatives…
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TORONTO – Rogers has postponed the launch of its new wireless brand Chatr, according to a report in the Financial Post.
The story says that Rogers may be having second thoughts about rolling out its lower cost talk and text brand after a warning from Mobilicity chairman John Bitove that his company will file an anti-competitive complaint with the Competition Bureau.
A Rogers spokesperson told Cartt.ca that Chatr will launch “later this summer”.
www.rogers.com
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ATLANTA – Although early consumer demand for TV Everywhere services seems promising, the lack of technical standards and the difficulties of encoding programs for multiple video platforms may trip up the multi-screen video drive, according to a group of industry experts.
Speaking on a multi-platform TV panel at a Light Reading conference in Atlanta late last month, the experts said they worry that the explosive growth of different video platforms, devices, and formats could make it nearly impossible for content and service providers to keep up. They also worry that, without common tech standards and specs, programmers will have to…
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GATINEAU – After having been told by CRTC staff on Friday that the Regulator would not consider adding wireless to its look at regulatory symmetry in the telecom world when it comes to the handling of customer cancellations and transfers, Rogers Communications has again pushed the issue back into the lap of the Commission.
In a story on Cartt.ca last week, we told you Rogers wrote the Commission saying it didn’t make any sense to be looking into so-called regulatory symmetry for broadcasting, telecom and Internet while skipping wireless – and that the communications giant wants the notice of…
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TORONTO – TBayTel is set to upgrade its wireless infrastructure with a high speed network overlay.
The independent telco has chosen Ericsson to overlay its CDMA mobile network with HSPA+ technology, a move that it says will "significantly improve" mobile users’ broadband experience by offering data rates up to 21 Mbps.
"TBayTel remains focused on providing Northern Ontario residents with advanced telecom solutions in an increasingly competitive and demanding marketplace”, said president and CEO Don Campbell, in the announcement. “Our unique ability to forge a critical national link with our new HSPA network has led to new strategic relationships. Now Northern…
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TORONTO and GATINEAU – Rogers Communications wants to know why the CRTC hasn’t included wireless in its look at regulatory symmetry in the telecom world when it comes to the handling of customer cancellations and transfers.
In a letter dated June 30th, the communications giant told the Commission it didn’t make any sense to be looking into so-called regulatory symmetry for broadcasting, telecom and Internet while skipping wireless – and it wants the notice of consultation amended to include the handling of wireless customer transfer requests, too.
Bell Canada made an application to the Commission in May demanding the same…
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TORONTO – When Rogers Communications comes to market with its new low-cost brand Chatr (which it says it will, soon), it can expect some legal haranguing from one of its wireless competitors.
Mobilicity chairman John Bitove told Cartt.ca on Friday that since the new brand from the big red machine is aimed solely at killing new competitors like his, he will file a complaint with the Competition Bureau when Chatr launches.
“If they were building a whole new company, a whole new network on their own, that’s one thing, but they’re obviously going to use all the leverage they can…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has released an approximate schedule for its upcoming television license renewals.
First up will be the renewal of Vide-on-Demand undertakings which will be handled via paper processes this Fall. This will be followed by private English-language groups CTV, CanWest, Rogers, Corus, and CJBN-TV Kenora in the Spring of 2011.
Private French-language groups services Quebecor, V interactions, Astral, TV5 Quebec Canada, and Canal Evasion will be considered in early Fall 2011, while all other conventional, specialty, pay, PPV, and community television undertakings whose licences expire in the next two years will be scheduled for Spring 2012.
CBC/Radio…
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