By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Telus is appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada a decision by a lower court that denied its application asking it to find the CRTC has jurisdiction over wireless access to municipal infrastructure.
In arguments filed to the high court Monday, Telus said the Federal Court of Appeal’s fixation with the dictionary definition of “transmission line” under section 43 of the Telecommunications Act to include only hard wires made it unappreciative of the fact that those wireless signals have to route back to hard lines that go back to the provider’s network.
“By focusing on the point…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced Tuesday that it will invest roughly $77 billion over the next five years on infrastructure and connectivity across the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
The commitment is part of the $81 billion it expects to spent across Canada by 2027, it said in a press release.
In its home province, the telecom said it is putting $18.5 billion toward initiatives including expanding the reach of its 5G network by deploying more 3.5 GHz spectrum, expanding its healthcare and smart home product businesses, and driving more fibre to homes. It said its PureFibre product will connect…
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By Ahmad Hathout
VANCOUVER – As the country’s cable companies move toward incorporating the next DOCSIS technologies that allow for fibre-like internet speeds over older cables, Telus executives touted its fibre infrastructure as a differentiator in its pursuit of more subscribers on higher speeds.
“By any measure, PureFibre exceeds DOCSIS and will endure to deliver exceptional reliability and symmetrical speed advantages to our customers as investments in Docsis aim to catch up,” Zainul Mawji, executive vice president and president of Telus Consumer Solutions, said on the company’s first quarter conference call Thursday.
Last month, Rogers announced that it was in a trial…
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By Ahmad Hathout
MARIEVILLE, Que. – The commission for the protection of agricultural territory of Quebec ruled last week that Telus can build a new telecommunications tower in Marieville.
The Vancouver-based telecom requested commission approval for the 60-meter tower, an overhead power line and an access road in an area of approximately 4,884 square meters to maintain an optimal coverage quality.
The application faced resistance, namely from the Fédération de l’UPA de la Montérégie, an organization representing agricultural businesses. But the commission, which requires approval for development other than agriculture, said the project would not affect the crops. It cited non-agriculture developments,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
WHITEHORSE – Telus announced Thursday that it has struck a deal in principle to transfer incumbency to Bell’s Northwestel in the region of Atlin, British Columbia to better serve the area.
There are only three communities in the far north that are served by Telus as the incumbent – Fort St. John, High Level, and Atlin. But unlike the former two, Telus does not serve Atlin with its own transport facilities. Instead, it leases a stretch of 1,300 kilometres of the transport portion from Bell subsidiary Northwestel.
“It is an island completely separated from the rest of TELUS’ ILEC…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced earlier this month new features for its Optik TV product, including accessing content from multiple apps more quickly.
The product features a simplified menu to access live TV, on-demand content, recordings and search; personalized profiles for members of the home to curate their own content; the ability to search from one location content from multiple different apps, which can be downloaded from the Google Play store; unlimited content recordings using the cloud PVR; and a voice remote powered by Google Assistant.
“By simplifying how customers find, stream and interact with their favourite content, it solves common pain…
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By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – Doug French, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Telus, said Tuesday that the company is confident that it could weather increased wholesale-based competition in western Canada in light of a CRTC proceeding launched earlier this month that will look to lower the rates competitors pay for access to incumbent networks.
The CRTC announced it is embarking on establishing a new wholesale framework that it said would address higher broadband prices in the country. A hearing on the matter is likely to be held next year. Meanwhile, the regulator will release a…
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Note: This story includes an update on terms and a statement from Telus’s president and CEO.
By Ahmad Hathout
VANCOUVER – The bargaining committee of the union representing thousands of Telus workers said Friday that most members have agreed to a new deal with the telecom giant, averting a strike.
The committee of the United Steelworkers Local 1944, which consists of 6,800 Telus workers, said 70 per cent of members agreed to the four-year deal, which includes incremental step-ups in compensation through October 2026.
The committee held meetings with members over the course of this week gathering votes, after it had agreed…
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VANCOUVER – The union representing 6,800 Telus workers across the country said Monday it has reached a tentative agreement with the telecom giant after a meeting with company executives over the weekend.
The bargaining committee of the United Steelworkers Local 1944 said in a blog post that it will recommend members ratify the offer made by Telus. It has scheduled meetings to run from March 13 to 15.
“This has been a long and difficult process,” the post said. “The resolve of your Bargaining Committee and, most importantly, the support of the membership have resulted in a settlement that would allow…
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By Ahmad Hathout
VANCOUVER – As the British Columbia government prepares to take bids for a new telecommunications services agreement proposal expected for this summer, the province reported in a quarterly report last year that it had saved $471 million with its existing deal with Telus.
The savings are outlined in the performance report for the period ending on March 31, 2022, which was obtained from a freedom of information request. The existing 12-year Telus deal, signed in 2011, is worth $1.6 billion with commitments from the Vancouver-based telecom to invest in the province, including building cell towers and upgrading existing…
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