VANCOUVER and GATINEAU – A Part 1 application filed October 1st with the CRTC this week says a Vancouver developer allegedly doesn’t know or won’t follow the rules around allowing competitive network providers into new buildings.
The application from Novus Communications asks the Commission to issue an order for timely access to certain developments currently being built by Polygon Construction Management. Novus provides broadband, TV, and telephone service to thousands of customers in and around Vancouver in multiple unit dwellings such as apartments and condos.
The application focuses on what has happened trying to get into the Berkeley House project in…
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BRITISH COLUMBIA and ALBERTA — Telus announced today residents and businesses in several more communities in British Columbia and Alberta are getting access to Telus’ 5G network this week.
Beginning October 9, Telus is expanding its 5G network to Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, and Surrey and White Rock in British Columbia, and to Leduc, Stony Plain and the neighbouring areas of Parkland County and Acheson in Alberta.
“Telus’ 5G network is built on the backbone of Telus PureFibre technology, making our 4G LTE network the fastest and most reliable in the world,” said Tony Geheran,…
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MARKHAM, Ont. — The Canadian Telecom Summit, which this year is a virtual event taking place November 17 to 19, announced more keynote speakers this week.
Today it was confirmed Tony Geheran (left), executive vice-president and chief customer officer of Telus, will deliver a keynote presentation on Thursday, November 17 from 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. In his role at Telus, Geheran leads an organization of more than 12,500 team members who look after all aspects of the customer service journey for mobility and home solutions as well as the deployment of Telus’ PureFibre network and digital strategy. Read…
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GATINEAU — In what could be a precedent-setting proceeding, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications have asked the CRTC to issue an order which would grant reasonable compensation to the two companies for the costs of relocating their transmission lines along (or on, over, or under) provincial highways in British Columbia.
Rogers and Shaw are seeking compensation for costs associated with mandatory relocations of their transmission lines due to B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) work or requirements, regardless of who owns the supporting structures for the transmission lines. In virtually all cases, the telephone poles supporting Rogers’ and Shaw’s…
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VANCOUVER — Telus announced today the launch of Telus Presents, a curated collection of TV shows from the U.K. and Australia, which is now available to the company’s Optik TV and Pik TV subscribers at no additional charge and we all look for more new content to get us through the Covid crisis.
“With more of us at home this fall, we are making extra efforts to give our TV customers the best entertainment experience possible, which means delivering a vast array of content options. Our customers already enjoy access to the largest On Demand library in Western Canada and…
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Also files lawsuit seeking $12 million in damages
MONTREAL — Quebecor-owned Videotron is taking its dispute with Bell over access to support structures to the Competition Bureau of Canada, asking for an investigation into Bell’s practices which Videotron says are anticompetitive by allegedly slowing down or, in some cases, blocking access to Bell’s telephone poles.
In a Videotron press release today, the company says its application to the Competition Bureau provides “multiple documented examples of the Canadian telecommunications giant’s stratagems to limit competition. These tactics, which are depriving entire communities of access to 21st century digital infrastructure, are destructive and…
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VANCOUVER — Telus Communications announced late Tuesday an offering of $500 million of senior unsecured notes with a 10-year maturity as the company looks to raise money for capital investments.
The notes are offered through a syndicate of agents led by TD Securities, BMO Nesbitt Burns and Scotia Capital. Closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about October 5, 2020.
The net proceeds of this offering will be used for general corporate purposes, including investing in broadband networks and other capital investment consistent with Telus’ growth strategy, and repayment of commercial paper (incurred for general working capital purposes),…
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TORONTO – Calling itself a broadcaster “where all voices matter,” The News Forum launched with a press release late Tuesday evening saying its mandate is “to encourage critical thinking and to celebrate diversity of opinion.”
The channel, which features a show called Boom and Bust hosted by former Conservative cabinet minister Tony Clement but will also offer domestic and international news, launched on all Bell television platforms (as well as Telus satellite TV and Regina’s Access Communications) and is partnered with two Canadian companies, Nextologies, for master control and distribution, and Ethnic Channels Group for sales and advertising, says the…
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But industry still has work to do
GATINEAU — The CRTC released today the findings of its first-ever secret shopper project, which was launched in response to the Commission’s 2019 report on misleading or aggressive sales practices among telecommunications service providers.
While the secret shopper report concludes the vast majority of enlisted shoppers’ interactions with the providers’ sales staff were perceived as positive, approximately one in five shoppers perceived they may have faced misleading or aggressive sales practices.
The report also says misleading or aggressive sales practices occur at a higher rate for certain vulnerable segments of the Canadian population, such…
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By Dr. Mark Meitzen and Nick Crowley
NO ONE COULD REASONABLY claim a track contest was fair when one runner is required to run uphill against the wind while the other runners cover the same distance running downhill with the wind at their backs, yet that is precisely what is happening in Canadian wireless markets with the naive comparison of nominal prices for wireless services across countries without accounting for the significantly higher costs that Canadian wireless providers incur in providing service.
In terms of costs, Canadian providers are running uphill against the wind.
In previous economic analysis, we measured the individual…
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