By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Internet service provider TekSavvy is warning the CRTC that if it does not address unregulated wholesale access rates in the industry, “there may not be any independent wholesale competitors remaining.”
In January, the ISP filed a Part 1 application asking the CRTC to investigate the legality of the matter in light of Rogers’s proposed deal to provide Videotron access to its network at below CRTC regulated rates as a condition of its acquisition of Shaw. It also accused Bell of self-preferencing by providing its recently purchased affiliate Ebox with preferential rates for access…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has extended by nearly a month the deadline for applications for money from the $750-million Broadband Fund.
A CRTC notice, released Monday, said the third round of applications – to connect underserved communities to high-speed internet – will now be due on May 16, pushing back the April 18 deadline.
“The Commission considers that extending the deadline for the submission of applications would provide potential applicants with sufficient time to effectively participate in the public hearing and submit applications in response to the third call for applications,” the CRTC said.
The decision…
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Mobile wireless prices declined 2.6 per cent on average compared to 2021: Wall study
By Ahmad Hathout
The country’s lowest-priced mobile wireless plans in 2022 came from mobile virtual network operators, flanker brands of the incumbents or regional providers, which contributed to a 2.6 per cent decrease in that segment’s pricing compared to 2021, according to a new Innovation Canada price study released Friday.
The new study, which is based on eight talk and data service baskets, found the average MVNO price for unlimited talk and 2-4 GB of data, 5-6 GB of data, and 7-9 GB of data “is consistently lower…
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TORONTO – The Canadian division of Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson announced the appointment Tuesday of Jeanette Irekvist as the company’s new president.
Irekvist will also remain as vice president and head of customer unit and a member of Ericsson’s North America executive team, according to a press release.
Replacing Graham Osborne, vice president of customer unit at Verizon, Irekvist has been with the company since 1999. She has overseen the company’s global marketing in the device and module platform and has led the company’s global partner sales program, the release said.
She has a Master of Law from Lund University in…
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Buying smaller ISPs “a strategy” for getting to 100% coverage, Rogers CEO says
By Ahmad Hathout
Note: This story has been updated with comments from Bell CEO Mirko Bibic.
TORONTO – Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said Tuesday that the delay in getting approval for the company’s proposed acquisition of Shaw has allowed it to refine its strategy as a consolidated entity.
“While we’re disappointed with the delay…what the time has allowed us to do is solidify our integration plans while at the same time – over the last year and a bit – we went through a bit of our own…
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By Ahmad Hathout
VANCOUVER – As the British Columbia government prepares to take bids for a new telecommunications services agreement proposal expected for this summer, the province reported in a quarterly report last year that it had saved $471 million with its existing deal with Telus.
The savings are outlined in the performance report for the period ending on March 31, 2022, which was obtained from a freedom of information request. The existing 12-year Telus deal, signed in 2011, is worth $1.6 billion with commitments from the Vancouver-based telecom to invest in the province, including building cell towers and upgrading existing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – British Columbia’s minister of transportation and infrastructure (MOTI) has filed an application to the CRTC asking it to suspend a November decision that forces it to enter agreements with third party carriers wanting to attach equipment on poles that are being moved by the province.
The November decision was triggered by a Rogers and Shaw application, which asked that they be treated similarly to the incumbent Telus when it comes to compensation to relocate their transmission lines when the province decides to move their poles. In the decision, the CRTC said the province…
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Editor’s note: This story has been updated on March 2 with a comment from Quebecor.
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Bell is temporarily pausing its next generation 9-1-1 network until further notice, according to a Friday email from a Bell technician seen by Cartt.
“Bell Canada is advising all Originating Network Providers of a temporary embargo for NG9-1-1 Onboarding and Go-Live activities,” said Richard Little, a technical network specialist for Bell’s emergency services division said in the email to representatives of the providers. “The embargo will continue until further notice.
“ONPs will be notified once our planned resumption of activities is known,” Little…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Rogers has told the CRTC that there is no undue preference given to Videotron in its proposed wholesale access agreement.
The Toronto-based company was responding last week to a Part 1 application by independent internet service provider TekSavvy, which is accusing Rogers and Bell of providing to certain competitors preferable network access rates compared to others, who must follow the costs regulated by the CRTC – called off-tariff agreements (OTA).
But in response, Rogers challenged TekSavvy’s knowledge of its deal with Videotron, which has so far been hidden from public view.
“The rates in the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has put out a contract notice Thursday for a consultancy firm that will assist in analyzing the network outage at Rogers last summer and improvements the company has committed to going forward.
The July 8 network blackout brought down critical services for millions of Canadians, including government, banking and emergency services in some cases.
This week, the regulator announced the launch of the first of a number of proceedings on telecom network resiliency, the first of which will include mandatory notification requirements on all service providers when outages like these happen. As…
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