MONTREAL – Videotron and Rogers announced an agreement late Wednesday to bring LTE to even more customers in the province of Québec and the Ottawa region.
Under a new 20-year agreement, the two companies will pool their efforts to quickly build out and operate a shared LTE wireless network, the most advanced wireless technology in the world. This network will deliver an optimal user experience for consumers and businesses in both key markets (and perhaps let Videotron launch the iPhone, which does not work on its current AWS spectrum).
In addition to the network sharing agreement, Videotron and Rogers have also…
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MONTREAL – Billing it as a Canadian first, Bell today announced the launch of its new Fibe TV wireless receiver which lets users connect up to six TVs anywhere throughout the home without cable.
The wireless receiver transmitter can be connected to a customer’s home networking modem and works with their main PVR to connect one or more wireless receivers and provide Fibe TV for up to five additional TVs around the home.
“Going wireless means you can…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada and Astral Media say the list of new regulatory safeguards it has agreed to should allay any fears the CRTC has of a combined company – and that the deal should be approved.
In its final written submission to the CRTC filed late Tuesday, the companies say they have agreed to “an unprecedented package of regulatory safeguards relating to terms of trade with all independent producers, the negotiation of affiliation agreements (including tied selling, packaging flexibility, and other terms), the no head start rule, the availability of non-linear content, the timing of the Commission’s dispute resolution…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced Thursday that, pending some government and debtholder approvals, it will acquire Mobilicity for $380 million.
If the deal receives the required approvals, it would ensure continued service to Mobilicity’s 250,000 customers without the risk of disruption, says the press release the companies issued.
Without this deal, Mobilicity would likely end up seeking bankruptcy protection in short order. Of course, it remains to be seen what government thinks of this and whether or not it will grant the request to shift Mobilicity’s spectrum to Telus immediately. DAVE, Mobilicity’s parent company, purchased the spectrum for $240 million in 2008…
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TORONTO – To help advertisers engage more viewers during televised shows, Shaw is unveiling a new promotion this weekend that bypasses the traditional commercial break and makes the ad part of the program’s content.
Viewers watching Showcase’s airing of The Hangover on May 18 at 10 p.m. ET will see the new promotion Shaw is calling “live on screen” integration, which will feature a promotion of Warner Bros upcoming Hangover Part III that’s been seamlessly integrated into scenes of the movie.
Shaw’s director of marketing ventures, Ann-Marie Spurr, likens the ad-in-a-movie integration to a director’s…
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KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group announced today it has acquired three FM radio stations owned by Bell Media and Astral located in Calgary and Winnipeg.
Pattison will purchase Bell Media’s Kool FM 101.5 (CKCE-FM) in Calgary, FAB 94.3 (CHIQ-FM) in Winnipeg, as well as Astral’s QX 104 (CFQX-FM) in Winnipeg, pending CRTC approvals.
“With the pending launch of our newest station CHPK-FM (95.3 The Peak) in Calgary, combining forces with KooL FM (Today & Back in the Day) and its great team will allow our group to have a very strong competitive…
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MONTREAL – It's the darling of the Canadian telecom field these days among Bay Streeters, and Telus again had a strong quarter, posting a 13% increase in quarterly profit in its Q1 results released Thursday as it added tens of thousands of new wireless and IPTV customers.
It’s wireless ARPU has grown to over $60 a month and the price of its newly split shares is on the rise. Churn is down, customer satisfaction is up, wireline revenues are increasing, and dividend payouts are growing for investors. According to EVP and chief…
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MONTREAL – Spend long enough in a hearing room and you’ll zone out for a bit. Yes, we admit, it’s happened to us. “I wonder if we’ll be done in time for the hockey game… I really have to cut the grass when I get home…”
Then, one or more of the parties says something that makes you say: Did he/she just say that? Sometimes those moments make it into a story. Other times, not. Here are a few of those other times: ************************* DURING ITS INTERVENTION on Tuesday, Rogers SVP of video content David Purdy told commissioners he sees…
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MONTREAL – In a lengthy appearance before the CRTC commissioners on Wednesday (more than twice as long as either Rogers or Telus the day prior) Cogeco Cable left no doubt where it stood on the question of Bell Canada buying Astral Media: There can be no compromises, no new regulatory caveats that make this deal palatable, and so the merger must be denied. Again.
Cogeco’s argument was similar to the one EastLink made earlier on Wednesday, but the Montreal-based cable and radio firm offered up more detail. CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais has asked the opposing interveners Tuesday and Wednesday for…
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TORONTO – A final reminder from CTAM Canada that registration is closing Friday May 10 for its 2013 Strategic Marketing Course taking place May 29-30.
The two-day executive strategic marketing program is an opportunity to join executives from a number of companies, including Astral, Bell Media, Blue Ant Media, Cogeco, Corus, Rogers, Shaw, Shaw Media, Stingray Digital, TVO and more. Space for the two-day event is limited to 50 participants and are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Led by Harvard Business School Professors Bharat Anand and Rajiv Lal, this year’s program…
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