By Ahmad Hathout
Telus CEO Darren Entwistle said Friday that Canadians value reliability over price, as he lamented the wireless industry’s trend of price matching in a race to the bottom he said he doesn’t understand.
“Why can’t we have a price premium if we have better product features, but more particularly better customer service for our clients,” he said on the company’s first quarter earnings conference call. “Why do we always have to price match, price match, price match in a race to the bottom? Why can’t we build the culture of psychology, a set of competencies to be able…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell announced Thursday that it has struck a deal with one of Canada’s largest pension funds to invest over US $1.5 billion to help Ziply Fiber, a soon-to-be Bell subsidiary in the United States, build its fibre infrastructure in new markets.
The long-term strategic partnership will see the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) own 49 per cent of Network FiberCo, which will focus on new last-mile fibre investments in “growth markets” outside Ziply’s existing footprint of two million locations. Bell will own the rest of the equity in the partnership and all of Ziply’s operations, subscribers and…
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But most said they find contracts clear and easy to understand
By Ahmad Hathout
Only 18 per cent of Canadians are aware of the CRTC’s consumer protection codes, which are intended to make contracts easier to understand for internet, wireless and TV services, according to a survey commissioned by the regulator and released recently.
The result, which comes from a 1,500-person nationwide representative survey by Phoenix SPI and conducted between October 24 and November 20, 2024, is largely unchanged since the baseline survey from 2022. The results are accurate to within plus/minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Respondents were informed…
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Telus says report “represents a snapshot in time”
For the first time, Vancouver-based telecom Telus has accounted for the highest number of complaints to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS), with 19.7 per cent of all complaints accepted by the CCTS during the six-month period from Aug. 1, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025.
That’s according to the CCTS’s Mid-Year Report 2024-25, published early Wednesday morning, which examines complaints received from Canadian phone, TV and internet customers.
Rogers accounted for 18.7 per cent of all complaints accepted by the CCTS during the reporting period, followed by Bell…
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The board of directors of Numana, a Montreal-based non-profit organization that acts as a macro-accelerator for digital technologies in Quebec, announced last week the appointment of Bernard Duval as its new president and CEO.
He succeeds François Borrelli, who will continue supporting the organization as a special advisor on emerging technologies and ambassador for the Kirq quantum communication testbed project, to ensure a smooth transition.
In a press release announcing his appointment, Numana said Duval is known for his ability to build bridges between research, industry and society, and brings expertise in 5G, next-generation…
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Decision will create challenges for efficient 5G rollout: Telus
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is correct in its interpretation of “transmission line” under the Telecommunications Act to mean just wireline infrastructure for the purposes of regulating attachments to public property, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday.
The 7-2 ruling upholds a lower court’s decision and means the regulator does not have jurisdiction over wireless attachments on that property, forcing the telecoms to go directly to the municipalities that govern those structures to get access that they say they need to expand the next-generation 5G network.
The high court used at least two…
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In honour of Earth Month, Telus has launched two new initiatives offering customers a way to join the telecom in reforestation efforts, following two record-breaking wildfire years in Canada.
From April 17 to May 15, for every new or certified pre-owned Android device purchased by a new or returning customer, Telus will plant a tree in a wildfire-affected region of Canada. In addition, when a customer trades in any used device, Telus will plant a bonus tree. This promotion is available in select Telus and Koodo stores, online or via customer service reps.
On April 22, Telus launched limited-edition “Tree Totes”…
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Telus announced Tuesday it plans to establish its first Sovereign AI Factories in Rimouski, Que., and Kamloops, B.C., with the former facility starting operations this summer followed by expansion to the latter facility.
Originally announced in March, Telus’s Sovereign AI Factories are designed to be secure facilities providing Canadian businesses and researchers access to supercomputers and software needed to train AI and to help develop AI products, while keeping data safe within Canada’s borders.
“As the first North American service provider to become an official NVIDIA Cloud Partner, TELUS will deploy NVIDIA’s latest Hopper-…
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Telus announced last week the launch of GameRx, a digital resource designed to let users explore the potential wellness benefits of interactive gaming.
“This first-of-its-kind, wellness-focused gaming website aims to break down the stigma surrounding gaming, offering Canadians evidence-based recommendations for video games that can address various concerns such as stress, mobility, focus, memory and loneliness,” reads a Friday press release from Telus.
Available now in English, with French language support coming by the end of April, GameRx offers a curated selection of video games tailored to improve users’ wellness.
“As a leader in connectivity, TELUS…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers announced Friday it has finalized an agreement to sell for $7 billion a 49.9 per cent stake in a portion of its wireless traffic transport infrastructure through a subsidiary to pay down debt.
The investors will be led by American asset manager Blackstone and include the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Blackstone will also hold a 20 per cent voting stake.
Rogers, which will hold the rest of the shares including voting control, will continue to have full…
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