Bell said Thursday that it has successfully completed a test that sees satellites from AST SpaceMobile beam connectivity for services including 4G voice over LTE call, text, emergency alerts, broadband data, and video streaming.
The test, which used AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites, was conducted in New Brunswick over the summer, and “lays the groundwork for Bell’s planned deployment of low Earth orbit direct-to-cell service in 2026,” Bell said in a press release.
The deployment utilized Bell’s low band spectrum and base stations on the ground to beam the signal to the satellite and user devices, it said.
“Space-based cellular broadband will bridge…
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Rogers Sports and Media announced last week it has entered into an exclusive production deal with renovation experts and TV hosts Bryan and Sarah Baeumler for HGTV in Canada, beginning in 2027.
Under the agreement, the Baeumlers will lead the creation and production of new original unscripted series that will only be found on HGTV in Canada, according to a Rogers press release.
Bryan Baeumler is known for being a Gemini Award-winning TV host of such home renovation shows as House of Bryan, Disaster DIY and Leave It to Bryan, all of which were HGTV properties when…
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Spoken word on FM, removal of tangible benefits among other recommendations
By Ahmad Hathout
Canadian content quotas on radio have contributed to a competitive imbalance in the market and reducing them will help traditional broadcasters be more adaptable to listener habits, the CRTC heard this week.
Rogers pitched Friday a reduction in the Canadian content quota on English-language radio – from 35 per cent to 25 per cent – that the broadcasting giant said will not only allow it to better manage its operations but also increase the consumption of its products. The company’s director of programming said there’s data to back…
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Sale of infrastructure also not out of the cards
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell’s chief financial officer said Thursday that leasing internet from Telus in western Canada is not out of the cards, but that owning the infrastructure is preferred for cash flow.
“It’s an opportunity for sure,” Curtis Millen said during a conference hosted by CIBC when asked about using Telus’s network in areas Bell doesn’t operate in. “We’ve had plenty of time to think about this.”
Bell, unlike Telus, is opposed to the CRTC policy of allowing the three largest telecoms to use the wholesale internet regime because the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is seeking to purchase the rest of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) before it entertains outside investors.
The telecom’s chief financial officer, Glenn Brandt, said at a CIBC conference Thursday that Rogers has a call option to buy the remaining 25 per cent stake in the sports empire from Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports, which has a put option to sell. Both options are due July 2026.
Brandt said while Rogers hopes to negotiate something sooner for that stake, he expects the option to be exercised anyway and, around this time next year, Rogers will close on taking…
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Rogers Sports and Media announced Monday the launch of a new bundle subscription combining its Citytv+ and Sportsnet+ streaming services in one package.
Rogers’s media division also announced the direct-to-consumer expansion of the Citytv+ service across major platforms, including Apple and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV and Rogers Xfinity, with the streaming service now available to Canadians directly through a Citytv+ subscription.
Subscriptions for Citytv+ are $9.99 per month or $99 per year, while the bundle subscription with Citytv+ and Sportsnet+ (Standard tier) is $31.99 per month. For comparison, a standalone…
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By Connie Thiessen
Nadir Mohamed, who served as president and CEO of Rogers Communications from 2009 to 2013, has passed away at the age of 69.
Mohamed first joined Rogers in 2000, serving as president and CEO of Rogers Wireless from 2001 to 2005, when he was appointed president and chief operating officer of Rogers. In 2009, he succeeded Ted Rogers as president and CEO of the company.
Rogers said in an announcement that during his tenure, Mohamed “strengthened Rogers balance sheet, solidified its financial position and set Rogers up for long-term success.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Nadir,” said Executive Chair Edward…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Thursday confirmed a preliminary view that regional mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) should have access to shared wireless networks even when an agreement is reached with just one of the carriers.
The commission determined Thursday that the network sharing agreements between Bell and Telus make them one national network “that results in both carriers being national wireless carriers that possess market power,” upholding a view on which it asked for comments in October.
To deny regional players access to parts of that contiguous network would, therefore, confer on the large telcos an undue…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is challenging a decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that found it responsible for ensuring the safety of contractor workers following the death of a man working on one of its towers in Minden, Ontario.
The memorandum, filed in the Federal Court of Appeal Friday and that expounds on a notice it submitted earlier this year, challenges the decision that found Rogers was responsible for ensuring the safety of the 30-year-old employee who, in January 2022, fell approximately 400 feet while installing a new antenna near the top of the tower.
The…
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Telus announced Thursday it has closed a deal that will see the country’s second-largest pension fund purchase a 49.9-per-cent equity stake in Terrion LP, a company with a portfolio of nearly 3,000 Telus wireless towers.
The deal with La Caisse for $1.26 billion, announced last month, means the telco will be able to reduce its net debt by that amount, which was the intended outcome. The transaction values Terrion at $2.5 billion.
The new company will manage the tower sites across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and will generate money through wholesale rental. Telus will retain full…
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