CALGARY — Shaw Communications announced Wednesday the launch of its Fibre+ Gig Internet product, which it says is the most broadly available plan for gigabit speeds for residential Internet customers in Western Canada.
Fibre+ Gig is now available to more than 99% of Shaw’s residential customers, due to the ongoing investments the company has made to its Fibre+ network, says the news release. Shaw has offered gigabit speeds to business customers since March 2019.
“Customers today trust in and rely on their home technology like never before, which is why we have continued investing in growing our Fibre+ network and…
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By Denis Carmel
MONTREAL – In a motion filed on June 23, 2017, Rovi/Tivo accused Videotron of patent infringement on components inside set-top boxes which Videotron uses to provide programming to its subscribers.
The U.S. company, called Rovi until it purchased TiVo and changed its name in 2017 also filed similar claims against BCE on January 19, 2018, and Telus on February 2, 2018. The Videotron portion of the trial commenced on March 9, 2020, and was adjourned after four days, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The BCE and Telus portions had been scheduled for May 25th and were also pushed…
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OTTAWA — A recent Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association survey compiling data from some of Canada’s telecom providers released today gives insight into just how much Canadians’ consumption of telecom services has changed during the current health crisis, and that the country’s networks remained resilient in the face of all the traffic shifts and increases.
The CWTA collected information regarding wireline and mobile traffic, for broadband and voice, and measured it against a pre-Covid-19 baseline. Facilities-based network operators who were surveyed for the report include Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw/Freedom, Tbaytel, Telus and Videotron.
Among the data highlights of the CWTA’s report, Managing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
EDMONTON – A Calgary bylaw that sought to regulate the relationship between private entities and the city for access to municipal rights-of-way is not binding on telecom companies, the Alberta Court of Appeal said Thursday.
The highest court in the province upheld, 2-1, a lower court’s determination that the terms of the bylaw be amended to remove “telecommunications services” from the definition of “utility provider” because telecommunications is the jurisdiction of the federal government. The bylaw forced entities to get – in some cases multiple – permits to construct within rights-of-way.
The bylaw effectively gave the city the power…
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Incumbents wanted to postpone until it can be done in person
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal will hear the wholesale rate appeal via online videoconference in June, the court said Monday, after the appellants sought last week to have the hearing held in person – even if that meant delaying the proceeding.
Eastlink, Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw, and Videotron as well as Bell sent letters to the court last week requesting the delay because they argued the complexity of the case could not be hashed-out over videoconference. The arguments were challenged by TekSavvy and the Canadian Network Operators…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – In the middle of March, Rogers Communications was asked to prepare a document by Innovation, Science and Economic Development that floated ideas for how governments could potentially help enhance network capacity if needed, including mobilizing temporary wireless sites, fast-tracking permit applications and allowing access to rights-of-way for emergency fibre installs.
The example measures, obtained by Cartt.ca through an access to information request, was in response to one of several questions asked of Canadian telecommunications companies by the federal department in the event the virus strained networks – and before the full effect of what the virus…
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TORONTO — This year’s Canadian Screen Award winners will be announced in virtual presentations later this month, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced today.
The award presentations will be livestreamed on the Canadian Academy’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels as well as its website over four days, from Monday, May 25 to Thursday, May 28.
The announcement follows the cancellation of all Canadian Screen Week events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Canadian Screen Awards Broadcast Gala that was originally scheduled for March 29.
The Canadian Screen Award virtual presentations will consist of eight pre-taped, thematically distinct online…
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TORONTO — CTV and youth-focused charitable organization WE announced today the WE Celebrate: Class of 2020 one-hour primetime special which will air Saturday, June 6 and will celebrate students and educators who have been making a difference throughout the school year and have been supporting their communities during the Covid-19 crisis.
The prime time special will be hosted by Lilly Singh and feature a star-studded lineup delivering Canada’s 2020 valedictorian addresses, one-of-a-kind performances and other surprises, says the news release. Joining Singh will be Tyrone Edwards, Selena Gomez, Brett Kissel, Shawn Mendes, Shay Mitchell, Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Liz…
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OTTAWA — Demand for Internet connectivity has soared in Canada during the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost seven in 10 Canadians saying they’re using the Internet more now than before the crisis started, according to a recent survey conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Shaw Communications.
The survey was conducted online with 2,183 Canadians aged 18 and older from April 19 to 22, 2020. The survey results were released April 24 in a Covid-19-related blog post by Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.
Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents said they are using the Internet more, including 27% who say they are…
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GATINEAU – After last week receiving a letter from third party internet access providers which said new install practices being instituted by incumbent network operators to protect people from Covid-19 were onerous and preventing new customers from being connected, the CRTC sent a letter back urging everyone to, well, work it out.
TekSavvy and the Canadian Network Operators Consortium filed a letter to the CRTC asking it to investigate how the incumbent ISPs are prioritizing their own customers for installs, repairs and maintenance during the coronavirus pandemic. Since the resellers use the incumbents’ network capacity, they also rely on…
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