The CRTC is asking the country’s largest telecoms to answer questions as to how the decommissioning of their 3G networks will impact those still on the legacy wireless technology.
In a letter Tuesday, the commission is asking Rogers, Bell, Telus, Quebecor, SaskTel, Iristel, and TBayTel to answer a few questions by November 1.
Those questions include whether the telecoms and their flankers still operate a 3G network and whether they have 3G-only plans available in the market; whether they plan to decommission the 3G network in the next three years and, if so, when that will happen, what will happen to…
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By Connie Thiessen
Anthem Sports & Entertainment has reached an agreement to acquire Hollywood Suite, the owner and operator of four linear TV channels and accompanying digital on-demand service, pending CRTC approval.
Launched in 2011, Hollywood Suite is the largest pure-play movie service in Canada, with its film-focused 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s channels available in over 10 million homes via Rogers, Bell, Telus, Amazon Prime Video, Cogeco, Eastlink, and Freedom Mobile, among other cable providers.
Anthem – which has offices and studios in Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, and Cleveland – says Hollywood Suite’s ability to satisfy both traditional linear viewers and on-demand focused digital…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) is urging the CRTC this month to reject a request from Telus to destandardize a form of legacy voice interconnection service in its operating territories because it would allegedly leave new competitors at the mercy of commercial negotiations with the dominant telco with no regulatory backstop.
Telus filed a request in early August asking the CRTC to destandardize and therefore no longer make available to new competitors legacy interconnection technology called time-division multiplexing (TDM) because it claims it hasn’t had a new customer on that technology in over three years and because…
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Telus International announced Wednesday its rebrand to Telus Digital, to align more with its focus on “digital-first experience across every service it delivers to clients.”
“Since our company’s inception in 2005, and throughout its evolution to TELUS Digital, we have advanced our leadership in the global customer experience industry and become a trusted partner to the world’s largest and most disruptive brands on the strength of our technology capabilities and expertise, and the grit and dedication of our team,” Jason Macdonnell, Telus Digital’s president of customer experience.
“Today’s official rebrand to TELUS Digital aligns our company name even closer with our…
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Telus announced the launch Wednesday of SmartEnergy, an app that the telco said will help Canadians save on energy bills and reduce their environmental footprint by automating energy use.
Subscribers of the service connect their smart devices, such as thermostats and wall outlets, into Telus’s SmartHome+ app, which will automatically adjust home temperatures settings and power down unused devices.
Telus says it is expecting subscribers to save an average of 15 per cent on their energy bills, depending on their province, home type and heating source. Most of those savings will come from setting automated routines, Telus says in its FAQ.
Users…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. has fired Thursday the first challenge to the CRTC’s decision to force it to open its last-mile fibre facilities to its major competitors, alleging the regulator relied in its decision on a cabinet direction that was already beyond the jurisdiction of the Governor in Council.
“The CRTC, by adhering to the cabinet direction, conducted a lengthy consultative exercise, with input from a broad spectrum of industry participants and interested parties, including SaskTel, in service of making a determination that was, in effect, already made,” the Crown corporation says in its memorandum to the Federal…
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Telus announced Wednesday a partnership with Mila, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, to mutually “develop artificial intelligence (AI) for the benefit of society.”
The Vancouver-based telecom and the Montreal-based research institute “will explore state-of-the-art AI technologies and potential industry impacts for the benefit of Canadian customers,” a press release said.
“Translating generative AI’s groundbreaking capabilities into real solutions is a critical step in realizing amazing outcomes for our customers and communities,” Jaime Tatis, chief insights officer at TELUS, said in the release. “Through our collaboration with Mila, TELUS is dedicated to fostering the growth of AI talent in Canada and to building state-of-the-art…
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Telus announced late last week that it’s putting more streaming services into its EnContinu+ bundle for Telus and Koodo customers in Quebec.
Subscribers to the service will now get two options: a basic plan, which includes Netflix with ads, Club illico, Amazon Prime Video, and Telus Films and Series for $25 per month; and a premium plan, which all of the above and Netflix without ads for $38 per month. The bundles also include the Amazon Prime shipping service, whose subscription alone would give subscribers access to the video service.
“By bringing three of Quebec’s most popular streaming services into one plan, EnContinu+…
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Peladeau lambasts “contradictory” decision
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday that Quebecor must come to an agreement on separate terms with Bell unrelated to the commission-approved tariff in order to access the telco’s national wireless network.
After the commission picked Bell’s access rate in final offer arbitration with the regional carrier last fall, Quebecor filed a complaint to the CRTC alleging Bell is attempting to delay its access to the large network by making it agree to terms that were outside of those already approved by the commission – and that there was an expected access date of…
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The CRTC is committing more than $17 million through its Broadband Fund to Bell Canada, TBayTel, Telus Communications and Sogetel Mobilité to build new cell towers and improve mobile wireless service along eight major roads, the telecom regulator announced Wednesday.
The four telecommunications service providers submitted their funding applications in response to the CRTC’s third call for applications to the Broadband Fund.
Bell has been approved for up to $1.05 million in funding to build a cell tower to serve approximately 15 kilometres of Route 330 near the community of Gander Bay South in Newfoundland and…
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