GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE of digital connectivity in the modern, digital era, the affordability and availability of Internet access for Canadian households is an extremely important concern for policymakers.
Fortunately, Canada ranks very high in both of these dimensions, according to an international survey published annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Canada ranks first among the 100 countries in internet affordability and 18th in internet availability in the most recent, 2019, EIU report.
The EIU, a sister company to The Economist newspaper, is a highly-regarded international provider of global information for businesses, the financial sector, and governments. It has been publishing…
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Freedom customers still the only ones with subway connectivity
TORONTO – BAI Communications has launched an online petition at iwantaccess.ca to try and pressure Rogers, Bell and Telus to come to the negotiation table and use the underground network it built for the Toronto Transit Commission.
Coverage in TTC stations has been live since 2015 for Freedom Mobile customers, “however, the Big 3 Telcos have yet to join the network,” says the petition. “Now, BAI is committed to educating cellular customers of the Big 3 Telcos about why they can’t access this network, and what they can…
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GATINEAU – "The Commission is of the preliminary view that certain device financing plans may create a new barrier for customers to take advantage of competitive offers in the market.
“In particular, customers, who may benefit in the immediate term from lower monthly costs related to their devices, appear to be asked to accept terms and conditions that may require them to stay with their current WSP after the end of their wireless service plan commitment period or be charged for the remainder of the cost of the device,” reads the notice from the CRTC when it opened a Continue Reading
EDMONTON – Alberta drone tech startup AirMarket and Telus today announced a new strategic alliance.
The two companies signed a letter of intent which will see them work together will aim to accelerate development and deployment of unmanned traffic management services for the global drone market, says the press release. Both want to deliver a telecom control framework which can safely integrate drones into Canadian airspace.
“As the use of drones continues to grow in popularity and more applications are developed for their use, it is crucial that UTM (unmanned traffic management) rapidly evolves to address new, complex air traffic situations. While…
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Shaw CEO also warns regulators not to change things now
CALGARY – After showing strong wireless subscriber additions of more than 266,000 customers in fiscal 2019 and bringing in $1 billion in annual wireless revenue for the first time, Shaw Communications executives didn’t hold back their opinions during the year-end conference call with financial analysts.
CEO Brad Shaw, said the company spent the fiscal year (ended August 31) focused on adding broadband and wireless customers, expanding its wireless network in the west by rolling out its 700 MHz spectrum – all the while managing a large…
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VANCOUVER – Rogers Media’s podcaster Pacific Content announced today it has hired Jonas Woost as its director of business development.
Woost (right) will look to grow Pacific Content's roster of clients and podcasts, which already include Facebook, Dell Technologies, Red Hat, Mozilla, Charles Schwab, Audible, McAfee, and the New York Times T Brand Studio. Pacific Content produces original podcasts for and with brands.
Woost joins Pacific Content from Telus, where he was the executive producer of the Storyhive project. Prior to that, he was executive producer at CBC Music, the public broadcaster's digital music service. He…
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There’s pain now, but “simplicity dividend” will pay off for Rogers, CEO promises
TORONTO – This summer, Rogers Communications was the first to take the leap into lower wireless prices and modern device financing plans, each with the goal of making things easier and cheaper for both the company and its customers.
The new plans, starting at $75/month for unlimited data (albeit slowed after 10GB) sent the wireless market (and the Regulator) into a bit of a tizzy in the summer as all of the…
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GATINEAU – The Telecommunications Act allows the CRTC to order “telecommunications facilities to be provided, constructed, installed, altered, moved, operated, used, repaired or maintained on any property.”
Furthermore, “No Canadian carrier or distribution undertaking shall construct a transmission line on, over, under or along a highway or other public place without the consent of the municipality or other public authority having jurisdiction over the highway or other public place.”
In that context, the Commission has had to resolve conflicts that arose over the years between some municipalities and carriers. The general rule is a municipality is compensated for its costs incurred…
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Competition Bureau has its worries, too
GATINEAU – In the summer Rogers Wireless introduced 36-month device financing plans into the Canadian wireless marketplace.
The service providers which introduced these new plans (Telus quickly followed suit, and then Bell and Ice Wireless had begun or where about to launch three-year device plans) were hailed by some as increasing smartphone affordability and generally being pro-consumer. Others hailed in the opposite direction.
On August 2nd, as we reported, the CRTC sent a letter to providers to cease that practice and then on August 30th, Continue Reading
GATINEAU – As part of the unrelenting effort by Canada and other jurisdictions to put an end to fraud and scam calls, last December, the CRTC launched a proceeding that would see the Implementation of universal network-level blocking of calls with blatantly illegitimate caller identification.
The deadline for telcos to have that in place, if they don’t already, is December 19th.
This summer, however, Bell suggested going even further and, as Cartt.ca reported, applied for Commission approval for a pilot project which would use artificial intelligence to build on universal network blocking tools to stop certain verified fraudulent and…
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