TORONTO, CALGARY and MONTREAL – Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Quebecor Inc. announced late Friday night they have reached an agreement for the sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor in a deal valued at $2.85 billion, subject to regulatory approval.
Rogers initiated a process of selling Freedom several months ago, after the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne released a statement saying he would not permit Rogers to acquire all of Shaw’s wireless assets.
The sale of Freedom to Quebecor “will ensure the presence of a strong and sustainable fourth wireless carrier across Canada,” a press release says. “The…
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Tribunal releases scheduling order putting hearing in November
COMMISSIONER OF COMPETITION Matthew Boswell is pushing back against claims Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications have made about the competitive impact of their proposed merger and the proposed divestiture of Freedom Mobile, arguing that selling Freedom is not enough to outweigh the negative effects he claims the deal will have on competition.
In replies to Rogers’ and Shaw’s responses to the commissioner’s application to the Competition Tribunal seeking to have the proposed merger blocked, which were made public by the tribunal today, the Commissioner of Competition reiterated that he does not…
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OAKVILLE – The Weather Network announced today it will air a weekly documentary series Power to the People on Fridays (at 7 p.m., 10 p.m., and 1 a.m.), starting tonight.
The series, consisting of six episodes with more to follow in the Fall, “explores the renewable energy revolution empowering Indigenous communities across Canada,” a press release says. “Each week, host Melina Laboucan-Massimo uncovers fascinating renewable energy or sustainable living projects driven by Indigenous Peoples.”
“It’s not just about renewable energy and climate solutions, but it’s also about addressing the wrongs of the past and moving towards true reconciliation. I think it’s…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced today it is deploying its new 3500 MHz spectrum on its next-generation 5G wireless network, bringing faster speeds to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Victoria.
“With the rollout of the 3500 MHz spectrum, businesses, industry innovators, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and Telus customers alike will have access to Telus’ ultrafast and reliable 5G network,” a press release says.
“As Telus continues to deploy its new spectrum through 2022 and 2023, more regions will gain access to its increasingly responsive network and faster speeds enabling the next wave of 5G capability, driving further innovation and growth within Canada’s digital…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU — Having determined last year Bell Canada violated the Telecommunications Act by denying Videotron access to Bell’s support structures such as telephone poles, the CRTC announced today it has imposed a total of $7.5 million in penalties on Bell for three violations of the act.
“The CRTC found that Bell Canada denied permit applications for access to its telephone poles from Videotron, its main competitor in Quebec. As a result, Videotron was not able to access Bell Canada’s poles, which delayed its network deployment and created a competitive advantage for Bell Canada,” reads a CRTC Continue Reading
Initial deployment in Nanaimo to be followed by launches in major urban centres
TORONTO — Rogers Communications announced today it has started to deploy its 5G 3500 MHz spectrum on its wireless network.
The first location went live this morning in Nanaimo, B.C., according to a press release.
Rogers says it will continue its deployment across Canada, including in the major urban centres of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as multiple rural areas.
“More regions will follow as they are released according to the ISED timetable,” the release reads.
Rogers acquired the most 3500 MHz spectrum licences of all other…
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MONTREAL — Bell Canada says it’s rolling out the next evolution of 5G, announcing today the network readiness of 5G+ as the company prepares to deploy 3500 MHz wireless spectrum it secured during the federal government’s spectrum auction last year.
Bell’s 3500 MHz spectrum adds “high-capacity airwaves critical to the evolution of Bell 5G on its network,” according to a press release. “Bell is now poised to deploy 3500 MHz wireless spectrum and unleash the next phase of 5G advancement.”
Offering “unprecedented mobile data speeds” and optimized for demanding apps and services, “5G+ is the fastest mobile technology yet in Canada….
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BANFF — The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) announced today the winners of the 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition during a ceremony hosted by actress and comedian Rakhee Morzaria (Run the Burbs).
Awards were presented in 28 categories spanning documentary and factual, arts and entertainment, children and youth, scripted, and podcast.
In addition, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content was awarded to the top Canadian production and The Francophone Prize was presented to the top French-language production.
Juried by a panel of 150 international industry professionals, the Rockie Awards competition featured 148 nominations from 45 countries, including Canada,…
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TORONTO – Rogers family matriarch Loretta Rogers has passed away, according to an announcement from the family made on today on Twitter.
Loretta Rogers, wife of the late Ted Rogers, was a director on the Rogers board and a member of the advisory committee of the Rogers Control Trust. She was formerly president of the Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation, sat on the board of the Canadian and American Lyford Cay Foundations and was a member of the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation, according to the Rogers website.
“The Rogers family is profoundly saddened by our mother’s passing. We are grieving…
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THOSE WHO ARE CLOSELY following the approval process of the proposed merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications will know the outside date for closing the transaction was extended from March 15, 2022, to June 13, 2022, and was extended again last month to July 31, 2022.
So, we are already looking in the rear-view mirror at one (soon to be two) outside closing dates.
What is going on? A lot.
Competition Tribunal
Last month, the Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell filed an application to the Competition Tribunal seeking to block the merger. He also filed an application seeking…
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