Shaw adds 266,000 wireless customers as wireless revenue passes $1B
CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced this morning its wireless revenue for its full fiscal 2019, ended August 31, 2019, surpassed $1 billion for the first time as the company added 266,000 new Freedom Mobile customers, including 90,700 in the fourth quarter.
The meant wireless operating income before restructuring and amortization grew 45% year-over-year to over $205 million, as of August 31st.
On the wireline front, Shaw added 34,700 net broadband customers during the full year (11,400 in Q4), but saw 106,000 cable TV customers depart, a 24% steeper decline than in 2018.
Total…
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But it may have support to change that CoL from other Canadian BDUs
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal this week refused to hear Vidéotron’s appeal of its condition of license which requires it to take part in a new ratings system using set top box data from all large pay TV providers.
Earlier this year, the Quebecor-owned BDU pulled out of the industry working group which is tasked with making the set top viewer data part of the ratings of the television industry in Canada and in May, as we reported, the company asked the…
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PHILADELPHIA – Comcast Business today announced it has signed an access agreement with Kamloops-based iTel Networks in order for the American communications giant to deliver managed broadband services to its U.S.-based enterprise customers with a presence in Canada.
Comcast’s press release says it will leverage iTel Networks’ vendor relationships to expand its business footprint and support its U.S.-based enterprise customers’ locations in Canada with its managed broadband offering. It's not expected at this time to compete for Canadian business customers against existing partners like Shaw, Rogers and Videotron.
“Our enterprise solutions team has uncovered a wealth of opportunities for Comcast Business…
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GATINEAU – The first call for applications for Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and all other satellite-communications-dependent communities in Canada closed on October 3.
While the CRTC confirmed that it has received 15 applications for funding, these applications were filed confidentially and will not be made public by the Commission.
Northwestel, however, made a sunmary of its own application public and Iristel has shared its application with Cartt.ca, defining the companies’ visions for bringing 50/10 Mbps Internet with unlimited data options to every community in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
We asked a handful of other companies for their applications, too, but…
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OTTAWA – Reactions were quick after the Federal Court’s Friday announcement to grant a temporary stay of the CRTC’s third party internet access rates decision.
On September 13, the cable companies (Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Vidéotron and Eastlink) filed a leave to appeal CRTC Telecom Order 2019-288, which lowered the rates independent ISPs must pay to access incumbent networks and forced those incumbents to reimburse the independents hundreds of millions of retroactive fees. They also requested an interim stay of the CRTC Order, request that was granted on September 27.
“We’re disappointed that the…
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OTTAWA – On Friday, the Federal Court of Appeal granted a temporary stay of CRTC Telecom Order 2019-288, the decision which set new, lower, wholesale rates for third party internet access providers and also forced the incumbent network operators to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in retroactive fees to the independent resellers.
Cable companies Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Videoton and Eastlink were the first to file for a stay as well as for leave to appeal the CRTC decision, as we reported here. Bell Canada has also filed its own appeal application…
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TORONTO – Bell Media’s Discovery will be on a month-long free preview from October 10 to November 7.
Along with the free preview release, Discovery announced new seasons of two of its marquee Canadian series. Season nine of Highway Thru Hell will begin production this fall and Mighty Trains is already in production on season four, with filming taking place in Peru, Japan, Serbia, and other regions.
The free preview is available via participating television service providers including Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, SaskTel, and others.
www.discovery.ca
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OTTAWA – As part of its campaign pledge to “make life affordable for Canadian families,” the federal Liberal Party says that if it remains in power following next month’s election, it will “take strong action” to have cellphone bills reduced by 25% within four years and save a family of four nearly $1,000 a year.
To reach that target, the Liberals say they will “work with telecom companies to offer plans comparable to global prices,” along with an unlimited family plan, according to their party’s platform on cellphone bills released Sunday.
The governing party also targets…
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KELOWNA – Offering television is still a must, but it’s time to move away from the old-fashioned way it’s still structured and priced, according to the closing panel of the annual 2019 Canadian Communication Systems Alliance conference.
In the Tuesday session titled “embracing the future of video”, four panelists told delegates there remain good reasons why network operators shouldn’t (yet) walk away from TV in favour of just offering customers a broadband pipe (leaving them to find video on their own, likely with the help of one or more of the Silicon Valley tech and content giants). While broadband earns…
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OTTAWA – Saying the CRTC has erred in law and jurisdiction five different ways, Canada’s incumbent cable operators have filed for leave to appeal the recent CRTC decision on aggregated wholesale internet rates. The companies have also filed for a stay of that Commission decision (Telecom Order 2019-288), as well, until a decision on the appeal is set.
Having spent billions of dollars over the years on their networks, Rogers, Shaw, Vidéotron, Cogeco and Eastlink say the rates the Commission has set are below their costs – and the retroactive amount to be paid back…
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