VANCOUVER — Home Internet customers in Western Canada now have another high-speed option to consider, with the announcement from Telus on Wednesday it is launching its Telus PureFibre 1.5 Gigabit service for residents in B.C. and Alberta.
This follows Shaw’s announcement two weeks ago that its gigabit-speed Internet service, Fibre+ Gig, is now available to more than 99% of its residential customers in Western Canada.
Telus PureFibre 1.5 Gigabit provides up to 1.5 Gbps download and up to 940 Mbps upload speeds, according to the Telus news release. Telus says its PureFibre network is the largest 100% pure fibre-to-the-premise…
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By Greg O’Brien
OTTAWA – No one likes delay, especially when it comes to the auction of the wireless spectrum which will drive the primary advantages of 5G wireless technology.
Canadian wireless companies have been clamouring for access to 3500 MHz (3.5 GHz if you prefer) because the mid-band spectrum will deliver the speed and low latency so key to 5G’s future and all were anxious to get to this December’s auction and hit the gas on the next generation of wireless.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
While company CEOs like Joe Natale (Rogers), Mirko Bibic (Bell), Darren Entwistle (Telus), and…
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GATINEAU — On Monday, the CRTC initiated a proceeding to examine the offer and promotion of accessible wireless plans by wireless service providers and the extent to which these plans meet the needs of Canadians with various disabilities.
All retail wireless service providers are required to offer accessible wireless plans and to promote those plans in ways that are accessible, including through stores, websites and customer service representatives.
The aim of the proceeding, however, is to look at how wireless service providers are complying with these requirements, whether differences exist between primary and flanker brands, whether the plans currently offered and…
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TORONTO — CTV Life Channel is starting a month-long, nationwide free preview on Tuesday, June 2, which will feature a new Tuesday-night lineup of wedding series and Saturday wedding-themed movie marathons.
Running until July 9, the CTV Life Channel freeview will also see the series debut of Double Your Dish on Monday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Hosted by real-life couple Chef Rodney Bowers and radio and TV personality Meredith Shaw (pictured in centre), the eight-episode, self-shot cooking series helps viewers make the most out of their meals by transforming one base recipe into two totally different dishes.
“We’re thrilled…
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Regional carriers acknowledge opportunity exists, though
By Greg O’Brien
TORONTO – It was heartening to hear from a handful of the top Canadian telecom executives on Wednesday when they detailed how their companies have, admirably, responded to the Covid-19 crisis.
Suspensions of overage fees, no disconnects, working with businesses and consumers to defer payments or re-do packages to help as they struggle financially, serious progress on remote health (especially by Telus), self-installs, employees working from home, networks which have remained robust and resilient, and charitable contributions too numerous to count, it has been an 11-week stretch like none of us have ever…
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By Denis Carmel
MONTREAL – In a motion filed on June 23, 2017, Rovi/Tivo accused Videotron of patent infringement on components inside set-top boxes which Videotron uses to provide programming to its subscribers.
The U.S. company, called Rovi until it purchased TiVo and changed its name in 2017 also filed similar claims against BCE on January 19, 2018, and Telus on February 2, 2018. The Videotron portion of the trial commenced on March 9, 2020, and was adjourned after four days, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The BCE and Telus portions had been scheduled for May 25th and were also pushed…
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OTTAWA — A recent Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association survey compiling data from some of Canada’s telecom providers released today gives insight into just how much Canadians’ consumption of telecom services has changed during the current health crisis, and that the country’s networks remained resilient in the face of all the traffic shifts and increases.
The CWTA collected information regarding wireline and mobile traffic, for broadband and voice, and measured it against a pre-Covid-19 baseline. Facilities-based network operators who were surveyed for the report include Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw/Freedom, Tbaytel, Telus and Videotron.
Among the data highlights of the CWTA’s report, Managing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
EDMONTON – A Calgary bylaw that sought to regulate the relationship between private entities and the city for access to municipal rights-of-way is not binding on telecom companies, the Alberta Court of Appeal said Thursday.
The highest court in the province upheld, 2-1, a lower court’s determination that the terms of the bylaw be amended to remove “telecommunications services” from the definition of “utility provider” because telecommunications is the jurisdiction of the federal government. The bylaw forced entities to get – in some cases multiple – permits to construct within rights-of-way.
The bylaw effectively gave the city the power…
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Incumbents wanted to postpone until it can be done in person
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal will hear the wholesale rate appeal via online videoconference in June, the court said Monday, after the appellants sought last week to have the hearing held in person – even if that meant delaying the proceeding.
Eastlink, Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw, and Videotron as well as Bell sent letters to the court last week requesting the delay because they argued the complexity of the case could not be hashed-out over videoconference. The arguments were challenged by TekSavvy and the Canadian Network Operators…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – In the middle of March, Rogers Communications was asked to prepare a document by Innovation, Science and Economic Development that floated ideas for how governments could potentially help enhance network capacity if needed, including mobilizing temporary wireless sites, fast-tracking permit applications and allowing access to rights-of-way for emergency fibre installs.
The example measures, obtained by Cartt.ca through an access to information request, was in response to one of several questions asked of Canadian telecommunications companies by the federal department in the event the virus strained networks – and before the full effect of what the virus…
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