TORONTO — Multicultural broadcaster Ethnic Channels Group (ECG) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with TV Asia that will see the channel launch simultaneously on five of Canada’s largest platforms.
Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, TV Asia is the first coast-to-coast American 24/7 information and entertainment cable TV channel specially produced and distributed for the South Asian community, says Wednesday’s news release. TV Asia has 38 bureaus in North America and provides a wide range of programming in the Hindi language. Content consists of dramas, music, movies, educational and original live programs.
“We are delighted with our Ethnical Channels Group…
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VANCOUVER — Telus International has finalized its $1.3 billion acquisition of Competence Call Center (CCC), which was announced in December. CCC is now wholly owned by Telus International.
According to the news release issued by Telus today, the merger adds significant scale, growth and diversity to Telus International and helps to expand its European presence, operations and client base. The merged company has an expanded portfolio of customer experience, digital transformation, content moderation, IT lifecycle, advisory and digital consulting, risk management, and back-office support that will enable new go-to-market opportunities and drive growth, the release says.
As previously announced…
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GATINEAU – On Friday, the CRTC’s Internet Code of conduct officially came into force, which is aimed at giving Canadians additional safeguards when dealing with their internet service providers.
The code sets out that ISPs must provide:
easier-to-understand contracts, documentation and policies surrounding service calls, outages, security deposits and disconnections
clearer information about prices, including for bundles, promotions and time-limited discounts
bill shock protection, through notifications when customers approach and reach their data-usage limits
information on the new rules permitting customers to cancel a contract within 45 days, without paying early cancellation fees, if the contract differs from the…
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OTTAWA — Somebody owes Telus some money. Maybe it’s Rogers and Bell. Or it could be the consumer groups l’Union des consommateurs and (to a lesser extent) the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). Either way, Telus should be getting back about $1,700 as a result of a decision rendered Wednesday by the CRTC.
Back in May 2019, after the Commission denied PIAC’s request for clarification on the device unlocking rules set out in the Wireless Code, the CRTC did approve an application by l’Union and a separate application by PIAC for the awarding of costs related…
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LONDON and MARKHAM, Ont. — Despite deeming Huawei to be a “high-risk vendor”, the British government announced it will allow the Chinese telecom company to play a limited role in building the U.K.’s 5G wireless networks.
In keeping with guidance from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the U.K. government issued a news release Tuesday outlining how high-risk vendors such as Huawei will be allowed to participate in 5G and gigabit-capable infrastructure builds in the country. “High risk vendors are those who pose greater security and resilience risks to U.K. telecoms networks,” reads the UK government release.
The…
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KITCHENER — Telus Ventures is heading up a $120-million minority investment in Miovision, a Kitchener, Ont.-based company that uses computer vision, artificial intelligence and advanced modelling to offer cities a modernized approach to traffic management.
The Telus Ventures investment was supported by a syndicate of investors led by McRock Capital and includes both new investors and existing investors who chose to increase their support for Miovision, the company said in its news release.
This funding will help Miovision to accelerate the growth of its smart traffic platform, hiring the talent needed to quickly develop new product capabilities and bring…
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PHILADELPHIA – Comcast executives said Thursday that its subsidiary’s upcoming Peacock service, combined with the cable division’s Xfinity Flex streaming device, will make the most effective revenue-generating streaming ecosystem available anywhere.
Peacock is a streamer which will fill what the company calls a “white space” in the market: a hybrid between a subscription and ad-supported service. It will be a largely ad-supported service with three tiers: 7,500 hours of ad-supported content for free, 15,000 hours of ad-supported content for US$5 (but it, too will be free if you subscribe to a pay-TV company), and an ad-free version of the…
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TORONTO — In a climate where the prevailing feeling is wireless prices in Canada are still too high, a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) suggests Canadians spend less on wireless services than their counterparts in other countries.
In its new report, Understanding affordability of consumer mobile wireless services in Canada, PwC compares wireless spend in Canada to the U.S., Australia and the U.K. for what it calls a “high-level relative wireless affordability comparison against Canada.” When looking at the percentage of income spent on wireless in each of the countries, PwC found that, in 2016, an average Canadian household…
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MONTREAL – Another day, another Quebecor-Bell dispute.
While Bell Media announced today a new bi-lingual Crave service – which includes its French-language pay-TV channel Super Écran – Vidéotron is calling the move “another anticompetitive maneuver by Bell.”
The Quebecor-owned cable company said in a press release Tuesday afternoon it “has been forced to discontinue on-demand access to Super Écran content for its customers,” and that “as of today. Bell is also blocking access to its Super Écran Go app… for Videotron customers who subscribe to Super Écran.
“Videotron is disappointed that Bell is again using its market dominance to place its…
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CALGARY — Following up last week’s launch of its Mobile Health Clinic program in Ottawa and Waterloo Region in Ontario, Telus announced Tuesday it is expanding its Health for Good program in Calgary with the launch of The Alex Community Health Bus, powered by Telus Health.
Telus is partnering with The Alex healthcare hub to bring its Mobile Health Clinic to Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens, including at-risk youth and individuals living with complex needs. The Mobile Clinic is a specially equipped clinic on wheels that will provide primary medical and mental health care, including electronic medical records, directly to…
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