WINNIPEG – Craig Wireless has completed the $80 million sale of its Canadian spectrum to Inukshuk Wireless Partnership, a partnership of affiliates of Rogers Communications and Bell Canada.
The sale’s final condition was met late last week when the company received a Tier 3 broadband radio service (BRS) license covering Eastern Manitoba, including the Winnipeg region, from Industry Canada. After filing an application to transfer the license to Inukshuk, Craig said that it received the final $16.8 million of the aggregate sale proceeds.
"We are extremely pleased to announce that the final phase of the Canadian spectrum asset sale has been…
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MONTREAL – Canada’s largest communications company reported a 70% jump in second quarter earnings.
Chief executive George Cope also confirmed reports that Bell’s wireless division will relaunch its discount service Solo Mobile later this month in a move designed to guard share against Rogers’ new Chatr brand. On the TV front, Cope said that Bell will add IPTV as part of its bundle of services in the Montreal and Toronto markets either late this year or in early 2011.
BCE posted net earnings of $590 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, compared with $346 million in the same period…
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TORONTO and KINCARDINE – Rogers Communications has purchased Kincardine Cable, Cartt.ca has learned.
The deal closed on July 31st and employees were informed this week, according to a Rogers spokesperson. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Kincardine Cable is based in Kincardine, a town of about 12,000 on the eastern shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, approximately 225 km northwest of Toronto. The company has approximately 6,000 cable customers across 27 systems, ranging in size from 2,800 subscribers in its largest down to seven subscribers, all spread over an area spanning some 1,500 square kilometres.
The company has been an active, progressive independent cable…
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MANY OF THE SUBMISSIONS to the digital economy consultation offered recommendations on what the federal government should do, or not do, to ensure every Canadian household has access to high-speed Internet services. Rogers suggests that mobile spectrum can efficiently and effectively complete the rural broadband effort.
“We recommend a joint government/industry initiative aimed at extending broadband access to remaining unserved rural and remote communities in Canada as soon as possible. The emphasis here, we suggest, should be on mobile broadband networks which will simultaneously bring both mobile and broadband service to rural communities,” Rogers says in its comments….
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OTTAWA – Telus has filed a complaint with Industry Canada asking for mandated roaming on the wireless networks in Manitoba owned by MTS Allstream after what Telus says has been years of negotiations that never went anywhere.
“Telus has been unable to negotiate reasonable terms for roaming since 2001 and as a result Telus customers in Manitoba, particularly in the 204 area code (Winnipeg) are unable to obtain data roaming in their home Province,” reads the company’s application.
“Additionally all customers of Telus are limited to varying degrees in terms of roaming on the MTS network. This asymmetry is contrary to…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC’s proposal to include broadband as part of the basic service objective (BSO) for telcos is getting lukewarm support, at best. The Commission proposed the idea in a broad consultation on a variety of telecom matters, referred to as the “Obligation to Serve” proceeding.
MTS Allstream Inc. and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) are two that have said making broadband part of basic service would represent a logical extension of the current regime. Presently the BSO only applies to local voice services.
“Including broadband access in the Commission’s universal service objective would also recognize the…
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GATINEAU – While wireless incumbents and newcomers vehemently disagree on future auction rules, both say Industry Canada has to get a move on, and make the decisions required to open up more spectrum for more bandwidth and more products and services.
The federal government’s digital economy consultation elicited many different opinions and recommendations on how to proceed with respect to creating the right frameworks and policies going forward. But many took the opportunity to complain about current regimes.
Such was the case with Canada’s largest wireless carriers. They are using the federal government’s digital economy consultation to wail about…
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GATINEAU – Citing “serial abuse” by Shaw Communications, Telus has reiterated its demand for immediate interim relief from the CRTC over the Calgary-based cableco’s tactics when customers want to switch from Shaw Cable or Shaw Direct to Telus’ Optik TV.
It did so while lamenting the Regulator’s decision to extend and expand CRTC 2010-406, the call for comments on the customer transfer process and related competitive issues, the very thing Telus (and others) want solved. Now. As reported by Cartt.ca, the Commission (prodded by Rogers Communications) decided to extend the deadline for comments on the proceeding because it…
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FEW FEEL THE turmoil in our industry like independent communications companies.
They lack the resources of the national cable, satellite and telco carriers and are quite small by comparison, of course – but their customers expect similar options (prices, services, broadband speeds, etc) that they see advertised by those big companies. Those independents also have to deal with the same regulatory and legislative change, negotiate contracts with programmers and others, and keep on top of the latest tech trends and new business opportunities, too.
Which is the reason why the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance exists and thrives. Working collectively, the…
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TORONTO – While one wireless company is warming up its lawyers in response to the launch of chatr by Rogers Communications, another was welcoming it to the Canadian wireless scene (once such a placid, “rational” playground with three big player, which has become one still with those three biggies, but with many more little guys kicking them in the knees).
To Mobilicity’s COO Stewart Lyons, however, chatr is illegal: A low-price brand formed by Rogers whose only goal is to put his company out of business. Company founder John Bitove threatened legal action when news of chatr leaked out,…
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