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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MONTREAL — Five new Stingray music television channels will be available to Telus Optik TV subscribers in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec as part of an expanded distribution agreement between the two companies.
Stingray announced Monday in a news release its Stingray Festival 4K, Stingray Now 4K, Stingray Hits!, PalmarèsADISQ par Stingray, and Stingray Classica channels are now available to Optik TV subscribers in those three provinces.
In addition, Stingray’s music video channels Stingray Loud, Stingray Vibe, Stingray Retro, and Stingray Juicebox have become available to all Telus Optik TV customers in HD.
“Stingray is committed to offering pay TV providers…
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VANCOUVER – Telus clearly doesn’t want to give up on Huawei, one of its primary technology suppliers.
While 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, Telus has long been a loyal Huawei customer and wants to continue.
The Canadian government is undertaking a national security review of potential partners in Canada’s 5G network, primarily targeting Huawei since the United States, Australia and New Zealand have banned Huawei from their 5G networks, while the United Kingdom has imposed strict security requirements on…
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VANCOUVER – Fourth quarter results released today from Telus show consolidated operating revenue increased by 6.3% compared to Q4 2017 to $3.8 billion.
Growth was driven by higher wireless network revenue and wireline data services revenue growth, as well as higher wireless equipment revenue, the company said in its release this morning.
Earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 1.1% to $1.2 billion thanks to higher revenue growth and higher wireless equipment margins. However, that growth was partly offset by increased costs to support a growing customer base (it added 164,000 total new customers – of which…
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TORONTO – Two guys who helped Wind Mobile get off the ground and then build its follower Freedom Mobile are the latest in a line of Canadian companies hoping to shake up the wireless market here.
Algis Akstinas (left, formerly the director of marketing and commercial strategy at Freedom) and Alex Bauman (right, formerly manager, customer base management) launched dot mobile Thursday with the goal of bringing a product and the company to market in 2020.
Dot stands for “Data On Tap” and the company aims to be just that for Canadians – a spigot of cheap,…
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