MONTREAL – Bell Canada’s sassy buck-toothed duo, Frank and Gordon the beavers, may have been euthanized this week, but they sure worked hard the last quarter.
Bell Canada Enterprises (which is still a public company for a bit longer) reported its second quarter results today and had its best wireless quarter in two and a half years. And, it is dumping its beavers in favor of a new marketing campaign which is set to take flight during the Olympics, which begin this weekend.
Bell Mobility’s net adds were up 32%, its best postpaid gain since Q4 2005. Total additions in…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), based at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, has asked the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to open an investigation into targeted web advertising.
Using certain technologies, including deep packet inspection, Canadian ISPs can identify tendencies of its users in order to better target the web ads sent to their computer screens as they search. The idea is to deliver better, more relevant ads to consumers and deliver better, more relevant customers to advertisers.
The practice, known as behavioral targeting, is used in many jurisdictions, such as…
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CHICAGO – With 33% market share in the Winnipeg TV market, MTS Allstream is ready to take its MTS TV service to other areas of the province.
The company’s consumer markets president Kelvin Shepherd told the crowd attending IPTV World North America in Chicago Tuesday that since the digital television service now passes 96% of homes in Winnipeg and has reportedly over 80,000 customers, it’s time to move beyond the capital.
(The company is already offering television beyond Winnipeg in 13 southern Manitoba communities, since it purchased Valley Cable Vision in 2006.)
“Our market share objective is actually somewhat…
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OTTAWA – Finally, after nearly two months of bidding, involving 331 rounds, Canada’s auction of wireless spectrum ended today, but is merely the first wave of change that will transform the nation’s telecommunications industry.
Canadian companies bid a total of $4.25 billion for 282 wireless-airwave licenses, the proceeds are more than twice the amount analysts had expected. The 15 successful bidders of the auction that began May 27 are eligible to receive licenses after making their final payments and showing compliance with Canadian ownership and control requirements.
Rogers Communications, Canada’s largest wireless carrier, bid $999.4 million for 59 licenses, reports…
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OTTAWA – A review of broadcasting in new media is utterly unnecessary, says an unprecedented joint submission to the CRTC by Canada’s largest Internet service providers.
Friday was the deadline for submissions on PN 2008-44, which only asked for comments on what the scope of any future proceeding on Canadian broadcasting in new media might be. The Commission wants advice on what questions it might ask when it decides to undertake a review of what new media is doing to broadcasting and what Canadian regulations might have to say about it. At this point, it doesn’t want to…
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TORONTO – Sounding not unlike the advice sometimes given in its namesake magazine (er, not that we’d know for sure…) Corus Entertainment CEO John Cassaday said he isn’t willing to “settle” for an average distribution deal when it comes to the company’s youngest digi-net, Cosmopolitan TV.
While the channel is carried by corporate relative Shaw Communications as well as Bell ExpressVu, neither Rogers Cable nor Cogeco Cable in the east, for example, carries the channel, which was launched on Valentine’s Day this year, and was profiled by Cartt.ca.
While Cassaday wasn’t specific about the carriage terms Corus is demanding…
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OTTAWA – Claiming he has a duty to protect the public from new texting fees (!), Industry Minister Jim Prentice has called the CEOs of Bell and Telus to his office to explain an impending wireless pricing change which both companies recently announced.
Beginning in August, both telcos intend to begin charging 15 cents per incoming wireless text message received by customers who are not a part of a data plan and who choose to pay as they go. Rogers, Canada’s largest wireless company, charges no such fee and has not announced plans to do so.
(Ed query: Is…
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OTTAWA – Globalive Communications Corp., the Yak-led consortium, which had boasted of becoming Canada’s fourth national carrier, appears to have a gaping hole in the province of Quebec as bidding activity peters out in Canada’s auction for advanced wireless services in the 2 GHz range.
“Globalive has as close to a national license as anyone, but Quebec is a hole for them,’’ says Evan Kelly, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s national communications industry leader. “They’ve backed off. Quebec is one of the regions where there are no multiple parties going after licences anymore, so it seems to have settled.’’
With 135 rounds…
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TORONTO – The Association of Electronic Journalists (RTNDA) announced its new board of directors on Tuesday, after elections were held over the weekend as part of the organization’s national conference in Ottawa.
The newly elected board consists of:
President Cal Johnstone, A-Channel
Vice-President, Radio Jason Moore, CKLW
Vice President, Television Renato Zane, OMNI Television
Treasurer Andy LeBlanc, CTV
International Representative Terry Scott, The Canadian Press
Past President Bob McLaughlin, CP24/CTV
RTNDF President Ken Kingston, CJFX-FM
Awards Chair Michael Fulmes, Global Television
Conference Chair Peter Angione, A-Channel
Atlantic Directors Radio Sheldon MacLeod, CKBW
Television Nancy Waugh, CBC Television
Central Directors…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said today that while many things should change about the Canadian Television Fund, Shaw Communications and Quebecor Media still have to pay into it – and in a timely manner.
And, while the Commission also said it would alter the BDU regs to make monthly contributions to the CTF mandatory, the report says it won’t make that move until the federal government has dealt with the substantive issues covered by the report.
That means distributors could still choose to withhold monthly payments in favour of quarterly or annual ones until Heritage Minister Josee Verner and…
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