THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT the Canadian wireless industry and the merits (or perils) of new competition from Mobile Virtual Network Operators can leave your head spinning. The number of price comparisons and examples, local or international, can be so disorienting you start confusing up from down, the high-end of the market from people on a budget and Bay St. from Parkdale.
This Financial Post opinion piece, for example, calls affordability an ‘alleged’ problem. While it was focused on poking holes in the numbers provided by Timothy Denton in an earlier article, it fails…
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OTTAWA – Back in the summer, as we reported, Justices from the Federal Court ordered the individuals operating the so-called GoldTV Services to cease operations.
They are unauthorized subscription services that provide access to programming content over the Internet without having obtained the rights, a violation of the Copyright Act, and Bell Media, Groupe TVA, and Rogers Media had all pursued the matter in court.
Despite the issuance of injunctions, the Court, in a decision released last week, says some of the GoldTV services remain in operation and the infringements continue.
Last Friday, the Complainants against Gold, Rogers,…
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TORONTO – The fact that ARPU is trending downwards and churn is rising among the big three wireless providers shows that facilities-based competition brought by the likes of Videotron, Freedom and Eastlink is working – and mandated MVNOs would be a bad move for Canada.
So says a report published this week by Scotiabank’s telecom analyst Jeff Fan.
“Quebecor has been a wireless facilities-based competitor in Quebec for a decade. Is that not sustainable enough? We estimate the company has now captured approximately 19% market share in the province, and, with its new Fizz brand, the momentum has actually accelerated. We…
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NORTH BAY, Ont. – The headline you see came about mid-day during the first Bridging the Digital Divide rural broadband conference being held in North Bay this week.
The prescient comment was made by Geoff Gillon, executive director of the Rainy River Business Development Corporation (Fort Frances, Ont.), and those six words sum up the massive challenge of making sure all Canadians can get excellent broadband and wireless service, no matter where they live.
Canadian consumers and businesses need broadband, whether it’s to take a university course where the school is thousands of miles away, to run robotics in a dairy…
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GATINEAU – Canada’s major cable carriers (Eastlink, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron) Wednesday made the point to federal cabinet that all the CRTC decision on new third party internet access aggregated wholesale rates does is disincentivize needed investment in high-speed networks, which is contrary to public interest.
November 13th was the deadline to file petitions to Cabinet (technically to the Governor-in-Council with cabinet) on the August CRTC decision to set lower final rates for TPIA – and force the incumbents to pay three years of retroactive overpayments to independent ISP resellers – and as the cable carriers argue, “by reducing…
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GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO — CSG, a Colorado-based provider of managed services for business support system (BSS) operations, has extended its partnership with Shaw Communications’ Freedom Mobile to provide additional business and IT operations managed services to help the wireless company provide exceptional customer service to its subscribers, the companies said Tuesday.
Through the expanded partnership, CSG will support Freedom Mobile in addressing customer inquires related to billing and payment management, error processing and service disruptions. CSG is also providing monitoring of business operations and best-in-class IT support, CSG said in a news release.
“Our partnership with CSG helps us streamline…
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TORONTO – Like most others worldwide, Canadians' TV viewing habits seem in constant flux. They're taking to streaming and on-demand viewing, driven by the adoption of Amazon Prime, Netflix, Crave TV, and other services, and are watching on more than television sets. An expert panel at the Canadian ISP Summit took a look at this changing landscape and discussed what the future may hold for ISPs and traditional TV providers.
Moderator Brad Fisher, CRO of Distributel, was joined by panelists Doug Edwards, executive chairman and founder of Zone TV, Kerry Travilla, VP of technology at MobiTV, John Pomeroy, GM –…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communication said today announced it is expanding the availability of Freedom Home Internet, an internet product which was tested in Calgary in October, which is designed to give its wireless customers the fast download speeds and unlimited data they need to stay connected at home.
“Freedom Home Internet gives our customers access to all the in-home connectivity they want, paired with the innovative wireless plans from Freedom Mobile that they already love,” said Paul McAleese, Shaw’s wireless president.
Freedom Home Internet is designed for customers who also want a fast, self-managed, in-home internet service, adds the company. This…
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Incumbents ask for two more months to file their R&V of the wholesale rates decision
GATINEAU – Following the August CRTC decision on final rates for aggregated wholesale high-speed internet access services (CRTC Telecom Order 2019-288), it was obvious by their collective reaction that the incumbent ISPs would challenge the decision, by any and all means necessary.
They went to the Federal Court of Appeal already and were granted a stay, as we reported, and the next step is to ask the CRTC to review, rescind or vary its own decision, as provided…
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WOODSTOCK, ON — Execulink Telecom is sponsoring the installation of a new device charging station in the Legacy Recreation Centre in Thedford, Ont, for the use of the centre and its patrons.
“The Legacy Centre is an integral backbone in the Lambton Shores community and we are thrilled to equip them with a new, innovative solution to keep their visitors connected,” said Ian Stevens (pictured on left), president and CEO of Execulink Telecom, in a news release. “Our Vision, Mission and Values are the key driver for all of our community sponsorships. We strive to put focus on technological growth…
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