OTTAWA – Minister of Industry Jim Prentice has been “about to” introduce new copyright legislation for about three months now at least, according to Ottawa sources.
Perhaps March will be the month it happens…
In the meantime, the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright has submitted a position paper to the minister “urging the government to strike a balance in copyright reform that reflects the needs of users and creators,” says its letter.
Besides the members in the headline, the BCBC also includes smaller stakeholders like EastLink, Cogeco Cable, SaskTel, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and the Retail Council of…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Fourth quarter 2007 revenue at Telus came in at $2.33 billion, an increase of 3.4% from a year ago, the western telco announced this morning.
“The performance was driven by 9% growth in wireless revenue and 7% growth in wireline data revenue, partially offset by declines in local and long distance wireline revenues. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased 8% to $953 million due to a 14% increase in the wireless segment and 2% increase in the wireline segment,” reads the release
Net income in the quarter ended December 31, 2007, was $400…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – It’s not a big deal in terms of its dollar value, but this one has to sting a bit at Bell.
Telus announced today it was selected as Ville de Montréal’s primary telecommunications partner in 10-year deal estimated at $87 million. Of course, Bell Canada’s national headquarters is in Montreal.
Under the deal, Telus will provide and manage Internet Protocol (IP) based voice and data services for the city’s more than 300 administrative offices across the island.
“Today, Ville de Montréal has placed their trust in Telus to upgrade their communications services to our state-of-the-art IP technology,”…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Telus today announced that it has acquired privately held Fastvibe Corporation, a provider of innovative Web streaming solutions for business.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
Billed as a “green purchase” by Telus, the company will use Fastvibe’s web streaming technology to help Canadian businesses reduce travel and improve communications
The Fastvibe team brings unique technical, event and production Web streaming management expertise to Telus, says the press release. The acquisition strengthens Telus’ technology solutions portfolio by offering Canadian businesses an environmentally responsible and cost effective way to deliver information like training, employee communications and investor information…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER and MONTREAL – Telus and Emergis will soon be one.
The companies today announced that a total of approximately 84,876,494 common shares of Emergis representing approximately 94% of the outstanding common shares (on a fully-diluted basis) were validly deposited to the $763 million offer to buy made by Telus, which expired at 5 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 16, 2008.
"We are very pleased with the strong acceptance of our offer," said Joe Natale, president of Telus Business Solutions, in a press release, "and we welcome the Emergis team and its CEO François Côté to the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – While Telus declined to make any response, a weekend report that said the company may spend as much as $500 million to swap its wireless technology to the GSM standard, set markets buzzing Monday.
Right now, Both Telus and Bell Canada operate CDMA wireless networks, which to many, are more limited technologically than GSM, due in no small part to the fact that most of the rest of the world is GSM-dominated. Network and handset gear manufacturers build to the GSM standard first, such as the Apple iPhone, which is a GSM product.
Rogers is the lone…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telus has purchased 41,200 more common shares of Emergis through the Toronto Stock Exchange. As of the close of business of the TSX today, Telus owned directly or indirectly 1,017,000 common shares.
The company this month bid $763 million to buy Emergis outright.
“The highest price paid by Telus for Common Shares purchased today was C$8.19 per share and the average price paid per share was C$8.19. This is Telus’ third purchase of Common Shares through the facilities of the TSX since Telus’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary 6886116 Canada Ltd. mailed its offer (the "Telus Offer") to…
Continue Reading
IT WASN’T SO LONG AGO when Telus was just the Alberta telephone company with little to no presence anywhere in Eastern Canada.
Now, thanks to the exponential growth of wireless (buying Clearnet proved a good idea) and huge wins on the business telecom services side, the former provincial telephone monopoly is a national communications conglomerate with well over 10,000 employees just in Ontario and Quebec. In 2000, its workers in the two provinces numbered in the hundreds.
The man at the top of this unprecedented growth in Eastern Canada has been Joe Natale, executive vice-president and president, Telus Business…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Canada’s second-largest telco Telus is predicting its recent history of record growth in revenue and earnings per share will continue in 2008, despite a bit of a dip in the latter part of fiscal 2007.
"Telus continues to execute on all fronts as we continue to grow revenue and earnings and use our robust cash flow to make investments for future growth while maintaining an orientation to return capital to our investors through continued dividend increases and share repurchases," said Robert McFarlane, executive vice-president and CFO, in a statement this morning.
Telus is targeting six to eight per…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – 10-10 long distance company Yak Communications said today announced it has filed applications with the CRTC demanding that it force Telus to stop charging a long distance “access fee” of $2.95 a month.
Among the remedies Yak is seeking, reads its press release, Yak has applied for an order that consumers who have already paid this new fee be reimbursed by Telus.
Yak’s applications request that the CRTC return basic toll service to the regulated sphere and declare the new fee illegal, and that Telus reimburse customers that have already paid it, reads the release. In addition,…
Continue Reading