By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a letter sent to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (IC), on August 13, Videotron CEO, Pierre-Karl Péladeau responded to claims made by Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) CEO Mirko Bibic in an interview on BNN Bloomberg (owned by BCE) that Videotron should not have been eligible to bid on set-aside wireless spectrum in the 3500 MHz auction, the results of which were announced on July 29.
IC set aside portions of spectrum in the last few auctions that the larger wireless players (Bell, Telus and Rogers) could not bid on, to try…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC announced yesterday it will hold a public hearing starting November 22 at 9 a.m. MST (11 a.m. EST) into the broadcast side of the proposed Rogers/Shaw deal.
The Commission will specifically consider an application “for Rogers to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Shaw and the authority for Rogers to operate various licensed broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) currently owned by Shaw in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” as well as Shaw Direct, Shaw Broadcast Services, and Shaw Pay-Per-View, according to a CRTC notice of consultation.
The application also seeks approval for Rogers to…
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WHITEHORSE and LONDON, UK — Northern Canadian telecom provider Northwestel, a subsidiary of Bell Canada, and UK-based low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaboratively deliver new connectivity services to remote mines, enterprise businesses and governments across Canada’s north.
The companies’ announcement follows the completion of OneWeb’s “Five to 50” program, which has deployed the LEO satellites necessary to bring OneWeb’s services to Canada, the UK and northern Europe later this year, says a press release.
The new connectivity solutions to be provided by Northwestel and OneWeb will use…
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GATINEAU – The Competition Bureau announced today it has obtained court orders to compel Xplornet, Bell, Telus and Quebecor to produce documents relevant to its review of the proposed acquisition of Shaw by Rogers.
The Competition Bureau filed its request for the documents with the Federal Court of Canada on July 22 and the orders were granted on July 26 and August 1. They require the four telecoms “to produce records and written information related to mobile wireless services that are relevant to the Bureau’s investigation,” according to a press release.
The Bureau is currently investigating the proposed…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced its second quarter results today, which includes a 9.5% increase in adjusted EBITDA over the same period in 2020, to $1.5 billion.
The company further reported consolidated operating revenues and other income increased to $4.1 billion – a 10% increase from the same period last year, according to a news release. Telus had 223,000 customer net additions, which is up 82,000 over last year, and 89,000 mobile phone net additions, representing an increase of 28,000 over last year.
“We’re obviously very proud of the quarter,” said Jim Senko, president of mobility solutions at Telus, in an…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada announced today the provisional results of the 3500 MHz auction, which earned a total of $8.91 billion.
The auction began in June and concluded July 23. Winning bidders have until August 13 to submit 20% of their final payment and until October 4 to submit the remaining 80%. The money will be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund administered by the Receiver General of Canada, according to an ISED press release.
In total, 15 Canadian companies were awarded 1,495 licences, 757 of which went to small and regional players.
“Results of the…
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TORONTO — WildBrain Television announced today it has commissioned a new 26-episode series, The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy, which aims to encourage inclusivity and kindness among children aged 3 to 6.
Produced by Lopii Productions, the cabaret-style show is hosted by Toronto drag duo Fay Slift (JP Kane, above right) and Fluffy Soufflé (Kaleb Robertson, above left) who “foster a love of reading and encourage kindness and empathy through community, story, song and silliness,” says a press release.
In addition to their puppet friends, Fay and Fluffy are joined on the show by special guests, such as musicians Splash’N…
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Bureau notes past Shaw comments about its influence in the market
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau has asked the Federal Court to compel the disclosure of records from four telecoms related to its inquiry into the proposed purchase of Shaw by Rogers.
The competition watchdog filed the first in a possible series of document requests on July 22, which, if approved, will force Bell, Telus, Quebecor, and Xplornet (respondents) to disclose related information on mobile wireless activity in the shared operating provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba, and outside.
That information, which falls roughly within the timeframe between…
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By Denis Carmel
IN A DECISION RENDERED last Thursday, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) dismissed an application for judicial review that had been brought by six broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) and partially granted an application made by a group of nine collective societies.
The appeals stem from a decision from the Copyright Board of Canada (the Board), issued in August 2019 relating to royalties for the period 2014–2018.
In Canada, cable providers (BDUs) can distribute local over-the-air television signals for free and without permission from the signal owner. But, in the case of distant signals, the BDUs can distribute without permission…
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Telus fastest mobile operator during the quarter
SEATTLE — Shaw Communications and Rogers Communications were the fastest fixed broadband providers in Canada in the second quarter of 2021, according to Seattle-based broadband and mobile network testing company Ookla, which released its Q2 2021 Canada Market Report today.
Using Speedtest Intelligence data from the second quarter, Ookla gave Shaw and Rogers speed scores of 181.66 and 179.95, respectively, for their fixed broadband network performance. Ookla’s speed score incorporates measurements of each provider’s download and upload speeds to rank network speed performance, with 90% of the final score being attributed to download…
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