GATINEAU – The CRTC today launched an online survey in an attempt to better understand the needs, behaviours and habits of Canadians regarding their mobile wireless services.
The survey, announced this morning, forms part of the CRTC's review of mobile wireless services, which began in February 2019. “The survey results will help determine whether further action is needed to ensure that the needs of Canadians are being met in the mobile wireless market,” says the press release.
Canadians have until December 31, 2019, midnight PST to complete the survey.
The CRTC will hold a public hearing starting on February 18, 2020, in…
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GATINEAU – A number of companies are worried about Bell getting bigger.
In July 2019, Groupe V Media announced it was selling for $20 million its five conventional stations to Bell Media. V, previously known as TQS, has had a long story of financial and regulatory problems and its acquisition by Bell had been rumoured for quite some time. (Photo at right are the stars of the V show Ne Jamais Faire à la Maison, or Never do this at Home, Marie-Soleil Dion and Jonathan Roberge.)
On October 29th, the CRTC issued it Notice of Hearing with a short intervention period ending…
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Innovative broadband policy is driving investment
By Ken Campbell and Reef Read
U.K. LABOUR LEADER, Jeremy Corbyn recently announced, as part of his election platform, he would nationalise the telecom broadband infrastructure in that country and provide free broadband to all residents.
This sent a shockwave through the U.K. telecom industry.
Planned investments from the many new private fibre companies entering the market were stalled and pending transactions were stopped as investors reconsidered fibre infrastructure investment until after the U.K. election.
For his part, Tory party leader Boris Johnson has announced his government would force an accelerated deployment of fibre to all U.K. residents…
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OTTAWA – Delegates gathered in Ottawa last week to discuss spectrum policy and best practices from around the world.
A workshop, organized by the International Telecommunications Society (ITS) with local host Telus, focused primarily on auction design and spectrum policy as it pertains to the rollout of 5G services. The heavy pace of 5G auctions continues globally, with many administrations releasing new spectrum to support the introduction of next-generation wireless networks.
Telus’ VP of telecom policy Steven Schmidt, who also chairs ITS, invited Adam Scott to provide introductory remarks from a Canadian perspective. Scott is the director general of the spectrum…
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MARKHAM – As it awaits a decision from the federal government on whether or not Canadian carriers will be able to use its technology in their 5G network upgrades, Huawei said last week it represents “a significant and growing contribution to Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with a total benefit equivalent to $690 million in 2018 alone.”
That figure came from a new economic study from Oxford Economics which the company publicized in a release..
The report highlighted Huawei supports nearly 5,000 jobs in Canada – and that it has invested $164 million in research and development initiatives while generating $204…
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ISED arm twists itself into knots trying to give MVNO its stamp of approval, but this could be a good compromise
IF I’M RUNNING ONE of Canada’s existing wireless companies, I’m relieved after reading the Competition Bureau’s most recent submission to the CRTC’s Wireless Policy Review.
However, if I’m hoping to launch a new mobile virtual network operator once the CRTC updates said policy, I might be crying into my beer a little.
After a summer of regulatory back-and-forth where the Bureau successfully fought hard for access to confidential information that only the companies themselves and…
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OTTAWA – The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) said today it received nearly 19,300 complaints from Canadian telecom and TV customers, an all-time high in the organization’s 12-year history.
Given we’re also at an all-time high for wireless and broadband customers in Canada, not to mention how recent news and noise surrounding telecom companies in Canada have likely helped more Canadians realize the CCTS can help, such an increase is not surprising.
Canadians, said the CCTS annual report (which tallies complaints for the 12-months ended July 31), complained most often about…
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TORONTO – Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of the Mobile Giving Foundation Canada (MGFC).
Incorporated in 2009, MGFC was established by key members of Canada's wireless industry, working in partnership with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), to create a means through which Canadians could make donations to registered charities through their mobile device.
This is why Canadians can, for example, text $10 to a certain number to help raise money for natural disasters or other needs and have it tacked onto their wireless bill.
"Canadians are generous and supportive of worthy causes, and they also embrace technology. Merging philanthropy with…
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GATINEAU – After reviewing a dozen of the new submissions made at the CRTC’s latest wireless policy review submission deadline on Friday, we can confidently say: No one has yet changed their mind since the last rounds of information were filed.
The arguments, butressed by some new expert reports in some instances, mostly bolster what has been said and repeated early and often.
The incumbent carriers say mandated mobile virtual network operators riding on their networks as wireless resellers will cause them to decrease investment.
Poppycock, says the Canadian Network Operators and the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance. “Such threats have never, not…
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Says unfettered MVNOs would jeopardize regional players
GATINEAU – Friday was the deadline for the second phase of the comments in the CRTC’s Review of mobile wireless services and all eyes were on the Competition Bureau’s submission, which had the additional advantage of having access to the material filed in confidence, which we had reported on earlier this year.
The Bureau’s report determines there is not enough competition in the marketplace, and it even suggests a policy for the Commission to consider. (Does it suffer from “Commission Envy”?)
“Bell, Telus and Rogers (the Big 3) possess market power at both the retail…
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