OTTAWA — Ahead of the CRTC’s public hearing next week to review its wireless policies, research firm Abacus Data released results Wednesday of a survey commissioned by Shaw Communications that found 95% of Canadians say regional wireless providers increase competition and provide better service to customers.
Furthermore, 66% of Canadians agree competition from regional wireless companies like Freedom Mobile, Eastlink and Vidéotron has resulted in reduced prices charged by the national carriers, says study.
“One reason Canadians value having strong regional wireless network options is because most see a direct connection between reduced prices charged by the national carriers and increased…
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TORONTO — The Canadian Telecom Summit’s regulatory blockbuster panel was announced Wednesday.
The annual showdown between Canada’s largest and smaller telecom competitors will see Ted Woodhead appear for the first time in the Rogers chair, after his recent move from Telus.
The list of announced regulatory panel participants (and others may be added) includes:
Samer Bishay, CEO, Iristel
Andy Kaplan-Myrth, vice-president, regulatory and carrier affairs, TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Rob Malcolmson, senior vice-president, regulatory affairs and government relations, Bell
Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president, regulatory, Rogers Communications
Returning to guide and referee the conversation will be Cartt.ca’s own editor and publisher Greg O’Brien.
Those…
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SAN FRANCISCO – Samsung revealed its Galaxy S20 5G series of smartphones on Tuesday, saying the 5G devices will be available in Canada on March 6.
Before Samsung Canada issued its news release Tuesday night, Rogers and Bell had already issued their own releases saying they were taking pre-orders starting immediately. Samsung is also taking pre-orders directly from customers on its website here. The new smartphone is also now available for pre-ordering on the Telus website, too.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 5G series are the first 5G-enabled smartphones to come to market in Canada. Samsung’s lineup of…
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OTTAWA and VANCOUVER — As today is Safer Internet Day, MediaSmarts and Telus Wise have teamed up to launch a series of videos and resources aimed at stopping young people from sharing intimate images of others without their consent.
The “There’s No Excuse” campaign includes a series of four short videos aimed at young people ages 14 and up. The videos were created in response to a national survey conducted in 2018 by MediaSmarts, which found 30% of youth ages 16 to 20 had shared an intimate image of someone with others, according to the news release. In addition,…
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TORONTO – Two long-term senior Rogers Communications executives have announced they are moving on from the company this year.
Senior vice-president, communications Terrie Tweddle announced this week she will be leaving at the end of the month, and senior vice-president regulatory David Watt will be retiring from the company in May.
Tweddle (left) has been with Rogers for more than a decade, having been hired under former CEO Nadir Mohamed, and Watt (right) has been for Rogers for 25 years, coming to the company when it purchased control of Canada’s first long distance provider Unitel. He has spent more than 35…
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Follow-up proceedings coming for small ILECs and Northwestel
OTTAWA — The CRTC issued two decisions Tuesday related to the phasing out of the local telephone service subsidy and the Commission’s associated review of the price cap and local forbearance regimes for Canada’s large incumbent local exchange carriers (Bell, Telus and SaskTel).
In 2018, in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2018-213, the Commission announced it would phase out the local telephone service subsidy over a three-year transition period from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021, through semi-annual reductions. At the same time, the Commission initiated a proceeding to review certain elements…
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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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