BIDDING IS SET TO GET underway in Canada’s much anticipated 600 MHz spectrum auction. The 12 qualified bidders are Bell Mobility, Bragg Communications, Freedom Mobile, Iris Technologies, Novus Entertainment, Rogers Communications, Saskatchewan Telecommunications, SSi Micro – Consortium, TBayTel, TELUS Communications, Vidéotron and Xplornet Communications.
The 600 MHz band is designated for flexible use for mobile, fixed and broadcasting services. Canada has adopted the same band plan as the U.S., which began to auction off that band more than two years ago. The low-band spectrum is ideally suited for offering mobile services and it is one of…
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TORONTO – Telus has pledged to give $25 for every new smartphone it activates in Ontario this month to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), to a maximum donation of $50,000.
The company has also crafted a new digital storybook as a way of helping kids and their families feel more comfortable going to the hospital. For every download of Bunny Goes to the Hospital, Telus will also give $25 to SickKids, to a maximum donation of $50,000.
The initiatives are part of Telus’ $1 million commitment to SickKids, in support of the $1.3 billion needed from philanthropy to fund…
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SHENZHEN, China – Huawei announced Thursday morning that it has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court that challenges the constitutionality of the American government’s ban on the deployment of Huawei technology by American carriers – and carriers which do business with the U.S. government.
Through this action, Huawei seeks a declaratory judgment that the restrictions targeting Huawei are unconstitutional, and a permanent injunction against these restrictions, reads the press release.
The Chinese manufacturer’s gear is effectively banned from the United States, Australia and other countries due to security worries, and is limited in its deployment in others. It is in…
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VANCOUVER – A new app from Telus Health and London-based digital health company Babylon is providing Canadians with a virtual healthcare solution that help them to take control of their own health from the convenience of a smartphone.
Babylon by Telus Health gives Canadians convenient access to doctors and healthcare information where and when they need it. At launch, British Columbians will be the first to have access to the app’s one-on-one video consultation feature, allowing them to speak directly and privately with a BC-licensed family doctor, all covered by their provincial health plan. Patients can also store their…
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THE 2006 POLICY DIRECTIVE to the CRTC (which came under then-PM Stephen Harper and then-Industry Minister Maxime Bernier) said the Commission must regulate based on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and reinforced that facilities-based competition (Canadian-owned, built, networks) was to be the backbone of the Canadian telecom marketplace.
It said a bunch of other things, too, but didn’t mention consumers at all. However, the Conservative government of the day insisted as long as the CRTC followed its directive, that should spur competition and lower retail prices.
Last week’s Liberal government proposed…
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OTTAWA – TNW Wireless Inc. is eligible to operate as a wireless carrier in Canada and may begin offering mobile wireless services after it proves that it has complied with all applicable 9-1-1 service obligations, said the CRTC in a decision late Thursday.
The decision also means that TNW now has access to tariffed services for wholesale mobile roaming on Bell’s and Telus’ networks, something that it had asked the CRTC to help it obtain back in July 2017.
However, the decision also found that the company’s proposed iPCS (Internet personal communications system) service does not comply with the…
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AIRDRIE, AB – Telus will invest $60 million to connect more than 90% of homes and businesses in Airdrie directly to its fibre optic network.
The gigabit-enabled Telus PureFibre network will enable connected residents to immediately take advantage of dramatically faster Internet speeds of 750/750 Mbps, while businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and other institutions can access even more speed and capacity, reads the news release. The network offers symmetrical service, meaning that customers can upload just as fast as they download.
Construction work will begin this spring, and Telus said that it anticipates connecting the majority of homes and businesses by the end of…
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OTTAWA – In something of a surprising move, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains announced Tuesday during Question Period he planned to issue a Policy direction to the CRTC requiring it to improve the affordability of Internet and cellphone services for Canadians.
If this is truly a shift away from market forces and facilities based competition (hard to tell for sure with the legalese), then this could be the most significant shift in the federal government's thinking on telecom in decades.
Even though the CRTC is independent, the government can, according to the Telecommunications Act “issue directions…
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TORONTO — More than 300 guests Thursday night helped Huawei to celebrate the company’s 10 years of Canadian operations during its fifth Canadian Partner Convention, held in Toronto.
Given the questions and negative news surrounding Huawei’s global operations lately, the company no doubt welcomed the convention guests who attended from its 100-plus partners, including carriers, channel partners, suppliers, universities, governments and local chambers of commerce.
According to a news release issued Friday afternoon, Huawei executives took the opportunity at the convention to express gratitude to all of the partners and suppliers who have helped grow the…
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GATINEAU – “Having considered the matter in depth, the CRTC finds that it is apparent that misleading or aggressive retail sales practices are present in the telecommunications service provider market in Canada.
“These practices exist in all types of sales channels, including in store, online, over the telephone, and door to door. They occur to an unacceptable degree; they are harming Canadian consumers, in particular vulnerable Canadians; and they are a serious concern for the CRTC.”
So begins the Commission’s report on the sales tactics of the Canadian telecommunications industry, released today. The Regulator hosted a contentious hearing back in…
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