NEW YORK – Rogers Communications wants to team up with U.S. cable companies to serve more large enterprise firms that have facilities spread throughout the North American continent.
Andy Striegler, vice-president of carrier services for Rogers Business Solutions (RBS), made the pitch to his MSO colleagues at an industry conference in New York late last week. Speaking at Light Reading’s Future of Cable Business Services event, he urged U.S. cable providers to link their networks and develop their wholesale businesses so they can compete with incumbent telcos and competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) for large commercial prospects.
“Moving from servicing small businesses…
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TORONTO – While rating the industry as “outperform”, a BMO Capital Markets report published Monday says the Canadian media and telecom business will generate $62 billion in revenue in 2012 and see an overall growth rate of about 3%, as compared to last year. Of that revenue, about 75% comes from our big four of BCE, Rogers Communications, Telus and Shaw Communications.
While wireless, wireline broadband and specialty television will continue to be the revenue drivers, overall growth will be partially offset by declines in legacy data, voice and print media, says the report. Look for the overall share of…
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BRANTFORD, ON – Telus’ customers in Brantford now have access to 4G speeds with additional communities to be upgraded to Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the coming months. Today's announcement is part of the company's $650 million investment in Ontario over the next three years to further expand and enhance its wireless networks.
"With a 4G LTE device like Samsung Galaxy S III or Note II, our customers will have the fastest wireless Internet at their fingertips, as fast as your home Internet connection but on your smartphone, tablet or Internet key. We are continuing…
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MONTRÉAL – A total of eight Canadian production companies will receive financial support from the latest round of disbursements from the Quebecor Fund.
A total of $2.88 million was allocated to the following production companies: Idéacom International Inc., PVP Projet Jar Dwellers Inc., Productions La Voix Inc., TVA Productions Inc., Cité-Amérique Inc., Communications Swan Inc., Québec Inc. (Triplex Films Inc., Jimmy Lee Inc., Groupe Média Upside Up Inc.) and Les Productions Kenya Inc.
The eight selected productions will air on TV5 Québec Canada, TVO, History (Shaw Media), Société Radio-Canada, TVA, Télé-Québec, Canal Savoir, Astral…
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FENELON FALLS, Ont. – In surprising a move that is sure to make many raise an eyebrow or two and set some industry tongues wagging, independent cable operator Cable Cable has decided the TV Everywhere video on demand option it will offer its customers is Apple TV.
The company (with about 5,000 cable customers and over 6,000 broadband customers in the Kawartha Lakes region) launched a Christmas promotion this week where triple-play customers (cable, broadband and home phone) can call to receive a free Apple TV box (regular retail price: $109). The company is not walking away from its cable…
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AFTER A LONG CAREER in telecom in Canada, Len Katz calls his time at the CRTC the best years of his career.
The 61-year-old former vice-chairman, telecom (and former Bell Canada and Rogers executive) is spending some time now taking a deep breath, a bit of a break, after seven-plus extraordinarily busy years at the Commission. While he admits some boredom has already set in since leaving last month, he is happy to be able to spend extra time with family before deciding what to do next.
Despite some rumours in the summer, his health is good after recovering from a…
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TORONTO – Sixteen Candles, one of the most popular teen movies from famed 1980s movie director the late John Hughes, will be the first movie shown on Rewind, Channel Zero’s latest specialty channel brand, when it launches Saturday.
Replacing Movieola in channel lineups (the short film channel moves to its new online home) Rewind will feature flicks such as The Godfather, Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Moonstruck, Edward Scissorhands and many others – all targeted towards Generation Xers who came of age in the 70s, 80s and 1990s. In fact, the whole first weekend is being dubbed “High School…
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GATINEAU – Quebecor Media renewed its assault on CBC/Radio-Canada’s access to information practices during the corporation’s licence renewal hearing on Monday by requesting the CBC include access to information data in transparency and accountability reports to the Commission.
CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais, however, wondered if it’s wise to have a parallel system regarding access to information.
“We’re not asking for the CRTC to impose sanctions on CBC/Radio-Canada with respect to access to information like the Information Commissioner can. What we’re asking for is in the reports that are submitted to the CRTC, which allow the Commission to verify how…
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TORONTO – TSN announced Thursday that Nathalie Cook has been appointed vice-president of integrated marketing and partnerships, and Mark Silver has been named senior director, digital. Both join TSN after successful roles at Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.
In her newly created position, Cook will lead TSN’s brand partnerships, marketing, and events divisions. Known for popular campaigns like the Kraft Celebration Tour, Wendy’s Kick for a Million, and Purolator Tackle Hunger – Cook will further expand TSN’s growing number of integrated brand partnership programs and events, across all TSN platforms. She will also oversee all key functional areas related to…
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GATINEAU – The small incumbent local telephone companies (SILECs) are urging the CRTC to reject proposals calling for changes to the local subsidy regime for lost telephony customers (lost NAS). They also say a regime that will force them to raise local rates to make up for a shortfall in toll interconnection revenue won’t work.
The large incumbents, as well as Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, want the Commission to only allow the 50% subsidy rule to apply to lost customers who port their number to a competing carrier. The SILECs counter that this is not what the CRTC had…
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