By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Two years and 16 days after Rogers and Shaw announced their intention to merge, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne indirectly approved one of Canadian history’s largest corporate consolidations Friday by allowing for the transfer of Shaw’s Freedom wireless assets to Videotron – promised as the competitive fourth player in the telecom market.
The stipulations laid out by Champagne in a press conference on Friday are as follows: Videotron will commit to offering retail services that are “at least 20% cheaper” than from those of the major players outside its home territory, it cannot transfer Freedom spectrum licences…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has sent a letter to Rogers and Bell on Thursday asking them to lay out what off-tariff wholesale internet access agreements they have with competitors.
The request for information includes details of a proposed arrangement that would see Rogers give Videotron access to its broadband network at favourable wholesale rates to win over regulators in its pursuit of Shaw.
The request is part of the CRTC’s evaluation of an application filed by TekSavvy, which alleges that Rogers and Bell are engaging in agreements that are disadvantaging competitors who don’t get similar rates…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A technical working group with members from the country’s major telecommunications companies have this month recommended a bevy of changes to enhance network reliability, including enhanced criminal penalties in cases of negligent damage to critical network infrastructure, subsidizing certain infrastructure in areas with little coverage, and expanding the CRTC’s authority over municipal infrastructure.
The 27-page report from the Canadian Telecommunications Network Resiliency Working Group, released this month, packs a list consisting of general recommendations for network resiliency and asks of the federal government.
“To strengthen efforts to improve the resiliency of Canada’s telecommunications networks, the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – Just over a week before the transaction deadline, Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said Tuesday that the company believes Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has all the information he needs to make a decision on the company’s proposed purchase of Shaw.
Two weeks ago, Staffieri said at a Scotiabank event that the minister had been asking the company to provide additional information about the transaction and said the company has been actively providing material to the minister, who holds the final say in whether to allow the transfer of Shaw’s Freedom to Videotron required to…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said Wednesday it will hold a hearing beginning on June 28 to consider applications by two not-for-profit indigenous television networks to add their channels to the digital basic television packages of the broadcasters.
The regulator received applications from Nunavut Independent Television Network and Inuit TV Network to add Uvagut TV and Inuit TV, respectively, to the $25 packages that consist of channels the broadcasters must carry by regulation.
Uvagut TV, which launched in January 2021, broadcasts Inuit-made children’s shows, movies, documentaries, and informational, cultural, public access and current affairs programming. Its service is currently available in basic…
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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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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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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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