TORONTO — SiriusXM launched today its latest collection of exclusive radio channels dedicated to iconic musicians, including Beastie Boys, Bob Marley, Coldplay, Michael Jackson and Queen. In addition, the Prince Channel is returning to SiriusXM. All are available through August 13.
The brand-new, limited-run channels have been authorized and produced in co-operation with the artists and their teams, and feature career-spanning hits, rare recordings and interviews, says the news release.
Guest hosts on the new channels will include Akon, Beck, Big Boi, Carlos Santana, Catherine Zeta-Jones, CeeLo Green, Cypress Hill, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl and Taylor…
Continue Reading
REGINA – On Wednesday, SaskTel reported 2019/20 net income of $119.8 million on revenues of $1,283.7 million.
While that was a year over year revenue growth of $5.8 million, “reflecting continued wireless adoption and increased revenue from wireline growth services,” the net income line was a drop of 6%, compared to the prior fiscal year, mostly thanks to the hit from the Covid-19 crisis, said the company. The company’s fiscal year ends March 31st.
The provincial Crown corporation paid a dividend of $107.2 million to the province during the fiscal year, a decrease of $9.1 million from the previous year. During…
Continue Reading
INUVIK, NWT — Far north telecom provider Northwestel is extending its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, which will be Northwestel’s second FTTH community in the northern territories, following the launch of FTTH in Hay River, N.T. earlier this year.
Inuvik (pop. 3,200) will also be the first community north of the Arctic Circle to have access to FTTH service, says the news release.
“Northwestel is making significant upgrades to our telecommunications network in Inuvik. We will be replacing aging copper wiring to people’s homes with fibre,” says Northwestel president Curtis Shaw, in the release. “This is a milestone…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU — The CRTC announced Tuesday it’s extending the deadline for interventions to its review of the rate-setting methodology for wholesale telecom services.
When the wholesale rate-setting review proceeding was announced in April, the intervention deadline was set as July 23, with replies to interventions due August 24.
In an updated notice of consultation today, the Commission has revised the intervention deadline to August 13 and is suspending the deadline for replies.
This comes after Rogers and TekSavvy separately asked for extensions to the deadlines. Rogers made its request for various reasons, including competing priorities related to other regulatory proceedings,…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC met its obligations under the 2006 cabinet directive, was never beholden to requirements for detailed explanation, and the wholesale rate review itself proved the Regulator has been aware of and followed-through on its cabinet and statutory obligations, lawyers for the third party internet access providers said Friday.
The final day of the two-day Federal Court of Appeal virtual hearing about whether the CRTC erred in law when it decided in August to slash the wholesale internet rate for resellers and force retroactive payments to them from the incumbents, featured lawyers for the independent ISPs…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Some of the country’s largest carriers tried to persuade a panel of Federal Court of Appeal judges Thursday that the CRTC – in its reasoning that led to a decision to slash the wholesale internet rate – did not adequately balance the impact of the decision with a 2006 cabinet directive setting out a market-based approach to regulatory decisions.
The 2006 cabinet directive outlines that the CRTC “should rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and regulate, where there is still a need to do so, in a manner that interferes with market…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – During one of the CRTC’s most anticipated hearings earlier this year, Telus CEO Darren Entwistle appeared before the Commission reviewing impending changes to the wireless industry and warned mandating new entrants without facilities to ride on the networks of the incumbents would mean many jobs lost, philanthropic spending slashed and reductions in investments.
It was a defining moment during the hearing. Drawing the attention of national media and critics on social media, it encompassed for some the realities of the competitive delicacy of the industry; for others, it was viewed as a baseless threat…
Continue Reading
CANADA’S TRADITIONAL CABLE companies have banded together on a new website to promote the reliability of their networks to customers across the country.
The networksyoucancounton.ca website, registered to Quebecor’s TVA Group, displays the logos of Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron, with links to each service provider.
“We know how important it is to have networks you can count on,” reads the website.
“We provide high-speed Internet access to more than 6.9 million Canadian households and businesses across the country, including in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities,” it continues. “Our physical networks — built, maintained, and upgraded over many years at…
Continue Reading
By Ken Kelley
OTTAWA – In an already competitive landscape where ad dollars are becoming tougher to secure, the Covid-19 pandemic piled yet a new challenge on top of several long-simmering issues for independent broadcasters in the country.
Appearing virtually before the Standing Committee of Finance, Luc Perreault, an advisor to Stingray (and former Pelmorex executive), outlined the challenges the Independent Broadcast Group (IBG), a consortium of 10 independent Canadian TV broadcasters, have seen over the last three months.
“We estimate the broadcast advertising market has shrunk by 50%, or more since January,” Perreault said. “Before Covid-19, the Canadian ad market was…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has provided updated data about the changes in traffic volumes and usage patterns that have occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its most recent report, released Friday, looks at wireless and wireline traffic volumes through the month of May, as some regions of Canada began to loosen restrictions on the mobility of citizens and the reopening of some businesses. (The CWTA’s previous report looked at traffic volumes in March and April.)
Among the data highlights of the new CWTA report, Managing Networks in Unprecedented Times – Part 2, are the following:
Wireline…
Continue Reading
