SEPT-ÎLES, Que. — Telus and the federal government jointly announced today a $15-million investment for the deployment of an underwater fibre-optic cable between Sept-Îles and the Gaspésie region of Quebec. The federal funding is coming through the Connect to Innovate program.
The submarine cable will improve the reliability and security of telecommunications services on Quebec’s North Shore, by providing an additional high-speed connection in the region, says the news release. In the event of a fibre cut on the main transmission network, the new underwater fibre link will ensure the continuity of Internet, TV, and wireline and wireless phone…
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VANCOUVER — Now that the NFL 2020/21 season is underway, Telus today added a new Optik TV feature — the NFL on Optik app — which allows customers to follow their favourite teams with live standings, scores, schedules and games all available in one convenient location.
The app can be accessed at anytime within the apps menu by pressing the “apps/interactive” button on the Optik TV remote control or by tuning into channels 207, 907 or 1500. The app can also be viewed directly from the home screen just by turning on the TV.
For more information about Optik TV, please…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Enough delay, say the independent ISPs.
TekSavvy, Distributel and the Competitive Network Operators of Canada on Friday filed applications with the CRTC demanding the incumbent telco and cable carriers file new tariffs as ordered by the Commission in its August 2019 decision setting new wholesale internet rates (CRTC 2019-288).
The decision gave the network owners until September 14, 2019 to do so, but only Telus filed. Later, SaskTel filed its tariff pages after a CRTC reminder. The other incumbents declined to do so, pending the three appeals of the decision filed shortly after the August 2019 rates…
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GATINEAU – After the CRTC found Iristel and Telus in breach of the Telecommunications Act, the former for traffic simulation in the 867 area code and the latter for the actions it took against Iristel, the Commission started a process to determine whether an Administrative Monetary Penalty should be imposed.
Without surprise, Iristel immediately asked the Commission to review and vary and to stay the decision.
CNOC supported the stay request, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre asked the deadline be postponed and Telus asked for the process to be suspended (it may well have an R&V of its own…
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VANCOUVER – Until today, eligibility for the Telus Internet for Good program was limited to families that were receiving the maximum Child Care Benefit from the federal government.
However in April, Telus partnered with local school boards to expedite the process of bringing this critical connectivity to all students who needed it to continue learning safely at home and through the summer months, the company and the boards further simplified the process so that now, all K-12 students in need in British Columbia and Alberta will have a reliable high speed internet connection at home this September for $9.95/month.
Through the…
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OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal has sided with the third party internet service providers in their defence of the August 2019 CRTC decision which lowered wholesale rates they pay to the incumbent telcos and cablecos – and established retroactive payments dating back several years.
It was a unanimous 3-0 decision and grants the respondents (the independents) their legal costs, too.
Companies like TekSavvy and Distributel and Start.ca serve tens of thousands of Canadians by leasing space on the networks of Bell, Rogers, Telus, Cogeco and the like and when the CRTC set the new rates with that decision,…
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GATINEAU — As expected, Iristel is officially asking the CRTC to review, vary, rescind and stay certain aspects of its recent decision which found the company guilty of traffic stimulation toward phone numbers in the 867 numbering plan area (NPA) area code in Canada’s far north.
The Commission’s decision (which we reported on here) was meant to end a dispute between Telus and Iristel in which the former accused the latter of traffic stimulation-related activities that caused a noticeable spike in traffic from Telus’s network to Iristel’s 867 numbers, which generated revenue for Iristel through high long-distance termination charges.
In…
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VANCOUVER — A new digital health assessment tool called Healthcheck has been added to the Babylon by Telus Health app, the company announced in an email on Wednesday.
Healthcheck is an AI-driven tool designed by doctors, scientists and epidemiologists to give users a holistic view of their health and provide recommendations for lifestyle changes to reduce risk for disease.
Healthcheck offers the following features:
Assessment: An engaging, conversational chatbot interface asks users about their medical history and lifestyle factors to assess their current health status and predict their future disease risks.
Digital Twin: Assessment results are presented through a “digital twin”,…
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VANCOUVER — Telus CEO Darren Entwistle has been named the gold winner of the CEO Achiever – Champion of the Year Award in the eighth annual 2020 CEO World Awards, a global recognition program honouring CEOs from organizations in every industry and of every size.
The award is honouring Entwistle for his leadership in leveraging Telus’ technology, human and financial resources to support Canadians, particularly the country’s most vulnerable citizens, as they grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, says the Telus news release.
“Darren’s leadership during the public health crisis reflects his 20-year legacy of supporting his team, and the communities…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU — In October of last year, the vast majority of Canadian Internet service providers met or exceeded the maximum download and upload speeds they advertised, according to the second edition of the CRTC’s Measuring Broadband Canada report, released today.
The study was conducted by broadband testing firm SamKnows on behalf of the CRTC, and was based on measurement data collected from October 1 to 31, 2019. Using the data collected from 2,035 “whiteboxes” deployed to Canadian homes, the study examines download and upload speeds, latency, packet loss and web page loading time. Participating ISPs include Bell Aliant,…
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