GATINEAU – While producers and others argued how and where the $220-million BCE/CTV benefits package should be spent, the two largest carriers without broadcast or specialty TV divisions warned the CRTC that something must be done to rein in the power a combined BCE/CTV will have.
While the Commission has long prohibited content exclusives on the TV side (CTV has to make Comedy Network available to all carriers and can’t sign an exclusive with any one or two), our exploding media world has all experimenting, looking for new business models and lines of revenue on new, unregulated, platforms.
Part of that…
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MONTREAL and VANCOUVER – The resurgence in the Canadian economy has boded well for the telco industry in Canada.
Videotron said that it created 827 new jobs in 2010, driven by its entry into the mobile market, which was 230 jobs more than the hiring targets it announced in January 2010. This boosted its workforce to more than 6,000, the company said, and it still has a number of openings available in engineering, network operations and management, installation, sales, marketing, IT and customer service.
“Videotron operates in a leading-edge industry and our people work in a heady swirl of technology, entertainment…
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MARKHAM, ON – Bell and Telus are partnering with Chinese networking and telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei on two joint innovation centres that will focus on advancements in wireless.
The location of the centres or the number of jobs that could be created were not made available as part of Monday’s announcement. Huawei opened a Canadian research and development centre just outside of Ottawa last April.
“Huawei played a key role in the introduction of Bell’s world-leading HSPA+ network, and we’re confident this Joint Innovation Centre will create further breakthrough products and services that keep both companies at the forefront of mobile…
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VANCOUVER – Telus is offering free taxi rides and phone calls this week to last minute shoppers or holiday party-goers in major cities across the country.
From December 18 to December 25, Telus-branded taxis will cruise the downtown cores of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Toronto between 11 am and 11 pm providing free rides. En route, passengers will also be offered a free holiday call anywhere in North America.
"The last week before the Holidays is hectic, holiday shoppers have their hands full between social commitments and picking out that perfect gift for their loved ones. We want to…
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OTTAWA – Not only is the NDP taking the credit for Rogers’ decision to begin unlocking its customer’s mobile phones, it’s now calling on Bell and Telus to keep up with both its competitor “and the rest of the world”.
NDP MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North) called Rogers’ decision a “major reversal of policy” and credited the move to public pressure created from his private member’s bill known as the Cellphone Freedom Act introduced in June. The bill calls for telecom companies to ‘unlock’ fully purchased phones free of charge at a customer’s request, and unlock subsidized phones…
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VANCOUVER – Telus is banking on wireless to power its 2011 financial results.
The telco said this week that it expects its wireless division to see revenues rise 3.5 to 6.5% to between $5.2 billion and $5.35 billion, while its wireline revenues, which includes local and long distance services, will see relatively flat growth between $4.73 billion to $4.88 billion. Overall, consolidated revenue is expected between $9.93 billion and $10.23 billion.
"We plan our 2011 performance to build on the progress achieved in 2010," said EVP and CFO Robert McFarlane, in a statement. "Next year’s results are expected to benefit from…
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TORONTO – Telus has rolled out an early device upgrade program which it says will make the cell phone ownership experience even simpler.
The ‘Clear and Simple Device Upgrade’ program creates a transparent linkage between the real price of new wireless devices and the discount customers receive when they select an optional one, two or three year term with Telus. Customers wishing to upgrade to a new device before the end of their term will pay an Early Device Upgrade Fee (EDUF) equivalent to the unrecovered portion of the original handset discount, and can then sign up for a new term with…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has sided with Bell Canada in a dispute with Telus over 911 network access charges in the province of British Columbia.
In a decision on Friday, the Commission directed Telus to credit Bell Canada for overbilled 911 charges in the province from March 2003 to February 2009, in accordance with Telus’ terms of service.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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TORONTO – Telus employees across Canada are helping the company to trial a new initiative that aims to help Canadians manage their personal healthcare records electronically.
Powered by Microsoft HealthVault, Telus health space is a high-security data storage and sharing service where individual Canadians will be able to keep all their personal healthcare information – such as lab results and prescription information – in an on-line database for access over any Internet connection.
"Telus has invested more than $800 million dollars the last three years in healthcare technology and our team members are working tirelessly to drive healthcare transformation," said president and CEO,…
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VANCOUVER – Strong results in its wireless business, combined with a record in TV additions figured prominently in Telus’ third quarter results.
Total net wireless subscriber additions of 153,000, including 132,000 postpaid, increased by 22% over the same period a year ago. Smart phones represented 38% of postpaid gross additions in the third quarter of 2010, as compared to 22% in same period last year. Higher valued smart phone subscribers now represent 28% of total postpaid subscribers compared to 18% a year ago.
Telus TV net additions were 38,000 for the quarter ended September 30th, an increase of 73% over the same period…
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