Search Results for: shaw

Cable / Telecom News

“Clearly, our strategy is working,” says Blouin

WINNIPEG – MTS Allstream says it expects growth across all metrics in 2008, not huge overall growth mind you (1% to 3% on the EBITDA line), but the company projects a solid performance in 2008. “For the first time since 2004, MTS expects to achieve overall revenue growth for the company and each of our divisions, making 2008 the year we set MTS on a new growth trajectory,” said president and CEO Pierre Blouin. "Clearly, our strategy is working. In 2007 we have twice increased our earnings per share target, and we are positioned to achieve the upper end… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Voicemail to e-mail not new

I READ WITH INTEREST your item, "Shaw intros voice mail through e-mail" and felt it our duty to set things straight. Aurora Cable introduced its Cablephone VOIP service in April of 2007, complete with the voice mail through e-mail feature. My apologies to Greg Pultz of Shaw for not sharing this information with Cartt.ca when we launched. Perhaps we should note for the record that we also provide number roaming which involves a subscriber taking a router anywhere in the world and calling back to their local calling area for free. And then there’s our foreign exchange roaming… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Sportsnet ramps up the regional HD

TORONTO – If you’re a hockey fan with a high definition television set, you want to see as many games as possible in crisp, clear HD. And if your favorite regional National Hockey League team is playing on Rogers Sportsnet, you don’t want to hear the technical and league reasons why there is poker on Sportsnet HD (shot in standard definition) while the game (shot in HD) appears in fuzzier analog on the SD Sportsnet channel. The reasons why that was, was confusing enough for those of us in the industry, let alone a regular hockey fan. Years ago,… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Industry Canada sets aside spectrum, mandates roaming, tower sharing

TORONTO – Canada’s big three wireless incumbents will be wearing handcuffs when the advanced wireless spectrum auction begins on May 27, 2008. Industry Minister Jim Prentice was in Toronto this afternoon to announce the rules of engagement when the federal government auctions off the 105 MHz worth of spectrum. The auction itself will take two to three weeks. Of that spectrum, 40 MHz will be set aside for new wireless entrants to bid on alone. The remaining 65 MHz will be open to everyone. “The spectrum being set aside amounts to less than 14% of the total mobile spectrum… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Industry and Heritage committees announced

OTTAWA – The membership of the House of Commons Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage and Industry – the two with the most impact on the cable, radio, television and telecom industries were announced this week. New members are in bold. The members of the Heritage Committee are: Chair: Gary Schellenberger (Conservative, Perth-Wellington, ON); vice-chairs: Mauril Bélanger (Liberal, Ottawa-Vanier, ON) and Maria Mourani (Bloc Quebecois, Ahuntsic, QC); Members: Jim Abbott (C, Kootenay-Columbia, BC), Dave Batters (C, Palliser, SK), Gord Brown (C, Leeds-Grenville, ON), Ed Fast (C, Abbotsford, BC), Hedy Fry (L, Vancouver Centre), Luc Malo (Bloc, Vercheres-Les Patriotes, QC), Francis… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Confidential Information: Avalanche of opposition means CRTC won’t go ahead with proposal

GATINEAU – The CRTC announced yesterday that it has junked its idea to allow limited access to confidential information between parties in a dispute. As first reported by Cartt.ca, the Commission said about a month ago it was “of the view that there may be instances where, in order for a party to be able to participate meaningfully in a proceeding, it must receive some access to confidential information. In order to allow for meaningful participation while respecting the confidential nature of certain information, the Commission proposes to grant confidential access under certain conditions in broadcasting and telecom… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Virtual Yule

CALGARY – Shaw Communications has once again brought back its popular televised Christmas fire for customers to tune in to. Shaw Cable and Star Choice customers can cozy up in front of their TVs this holiday season to enjoy all the figurative warmth of a natural, flickering fire set to soothing holiday music “without the hassle of chopping and hauling wood and stoking flames,” says the company. "The holiday fire log is a tradition at Star Choice that our viewers eagerly anticipate," said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications. "Our stellar cast of fire log and hand is what… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Movie Central for free, popcorn extra

TORONTO – A weekend of free Movie Central programming is coming up in western Canada. The free preview goes from 6 p.m. MT (5 p.m. PT) on Friday, Nov. 9 to Sunday, Nov. 11 at midnight. It will be available through Shaw Communications, as Bell ExpressVu, MTS, SaskTel, TELUS, Access Communications, and Westman Communications. During the free preview, viewers can see first-run Hollywood hits and the newest HBO and Showtime series, including episodes of Dexter, Flight of the Conchords, Entourage and Californication, and feature presentations such as The Last King of Scotland, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, School for Scoundrels and… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Fee-for-carriage to be part of BDU hearings, which are pushed to April, and other calendar shuffles

OTTAWA – In his speech to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention today at lunch, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said he has heard the complaints from the industry (after first making some complaints of his own, see related story) and made a few significant changes to the 2008 calendar. First, the policy review hearings on broadcast distribution undertakings (cable, satellite, telco TV and others) and specialty services has been pushed back to April 7. They had been scheduled to begin February 4th (after having previously been set for January). Also new is the broadcasters’ demands that fee for… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

MTS tops 75,000 TV subs in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG – Having added 5,000 new customers since April, MTS TV, the digital television service offered by MTS Allstream in Winnipeg, has surpassed the 75,000 customer mark. In the last two years, MTS TV has grown by over 30,000 customers, most of whom are coming off the Shaw Cable subscriber list. "We are very excited that MTS TV continues to make outstanding progress in the marketplace," said Kelvin Shepherd, president consumer markets division, MTS Allstream, in the press release. MTS TV includes video on demand, high definition, TV call display, photos on demand and e-mail on demand. www.mts.ca/mtstv… Continue Reading