Telus alleges Bell complaint a delay tactic
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell is alleging that Telus is unduly disadvantaging its newly branded television networks after the broadcaster signed a deal in March to carry Rogers’s Warner Bros. Discovery programming.
In the partially redacted complaint, dated late April but only made public by the CRTC last week, Bell says its USA Network, Oxygen True Crime, CTV Nature, CTV Speed, and CTV Wild services are being treated unfairly because the broadcaster is allegedly looking to remove the services from some packages containing Rogers’s Discovery content.
“We are not trying to maintain a de facto access right…
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Telus announced last week it has submitted a non-binding indication of interest (IOI) to the board of directors of Telus Digital (formerly known as Telus International) to acquire all of the outstanding subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares of Telus Digital not already owned by Telus for a proposed price per share of US$3.40.
To be paid in cash, Telus common shares or a combination of both, the proposed price represents a premium of approximately 15 per cent to Telus Digital’s closing share price on the New York Stock…
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By Ahmad Hathout
If the CRTC mandates information disclosure for wireless services like its 5G home internet, then it could stunt Rogers’s effort to bridge the digital divide, the cable giant said Thursday.
“Introducing what’s being considered here, for something that’s not captured by the legislation, could impose costs and burdens upon Rogers in the infancy of its launch of this product that actually undermine achievement of that critical public policy objective,” Dean Shaikh, Rogers’s senior vice president of regulatory affairs, told the commission studying the implementation of standardized information to make it easier for customers to choose internet services.
“This is…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC should specifically tailor its broadband transparency efforts on certain technologies that have been shown to demonstrate more variation in internet speeds, such as satellite and fixed-wireless services, according to Bell executives.
Otherwise, if the CRTC must impose standardized transparency language to make it easier for consumers to choose services, it can force internet service providers to change their “up-to” or “maximum” language to “typical” because that’s what most service providers are already offering on wireline.
“We’d be well within … the margins by which what we advertise as a maximum speed would be advertised as a typical…
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The CRTC has asked Telus via a June 5 letter to provide a public summary of a 911 service outage Telus experienced from March 22-24 this year that impacted wireless 911 calls trying to connect to the public safety answering point (PSAP) in Brandon, Manitoba.
The commission initially requested information regarding the outage from Telus in an April 11 letter asking for weekly progress reports on the Vancouver-based telecom’s investigation of the cause of the outage, steps taken to resolve the outage, the impact of the outage, and plans put in place…
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Telus announced Friday that it successfully tested 5G slicing technology that allowed it to provide a dedicated traffic lane for Edmonton police during the Oilers’ playoff run.
The Vancouver-based telecom said the slicing demonstration showed “flawless performance of critical surveillance systems even during periods of extreme network congestion,” a press release said.
“During periods of high congestion, the 5G priority slice maintained 100 per cent service availability, ensuring uninterrupted, and high-quality video streams from strategically placed CCTV cameras across downtown Edmonton,” it added.
“While standard networks faced potential slowdowns during peak traffic, these priority-connected cameras consistently delivered real-time visual coverage, providing Edmonton Police with the…
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Bell announced Thursday a new streaming bundle that includes Disney+, Crave, and TSN, which is slated to launch later this year.
“At launch, the new bundles provide savings for viewers when they combine services together, giving customers access to a vast selection of premium content, including HBO and Max Originals, Crave Originals, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and TSN’s deep and diverse roster of live and on demand sports programming, and much more,” Bell Media said in a press release, adding more details about offers, pricing and launch date will be announced in the “coming weeks.”
“This collaboration with…
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Telus announced Tuesday applications are open for its #StandWithOwners contest, returning for its sixth consecutive year, which will provide more than $1 million in prizing and rewards to support Canadian small businesses.
Until Sept. 3, small business owners can apply at telus.com/StandWithOwners for a chance to win one of five grand prize packages valued at more than $200,000 each. These prize packages include $75,000 in direct funding, $80,000 in advertising and business exposure, $35,000 in Telus technology along with a Samsung technology package, and $10,000 in Telus Health wellbeing support. In addition,…
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The parties are currently engaged in a carriage dispute
By Ahmad Hathout
Corus is suing Telus in the Ontario Superior Court for allegedly breaking its distribution agreement by withholding and refusing to repay roughly $2.5 million in service fees.
Corus filed the claim this week revealing the parties are currently engaged in a dispute over the terms for carrying Corus’s services, which Telus continues to distribute per a regulatory standstill.
Crucially, the existing agreement, which continues to govern the parties during the dispute, includes a section that stipulates that Telus “shall not deduct or set-off any amounts for any reason from Service Fees…
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Federal ministers said Thursday they are pleased with the announcements by Bell and Telus to open up artificial intelligence facilities across the country, noting that they show a commitment to building a stronger Canadian economy.
“These forward-looking private sector investments will help create high-quality jobs in Canada, open up new opportunities for workers at home and strengthen Canada’s position as an AI leader. It also supports the responsible development and adoption of AI technologies that can improve prosperity for workers and businesses across Canada,” said the joint statement by Industry Minister Melanie Joly and AI and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon.
“Notwithstanding unjustified tariffs imposed…
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