GATINEAU – New digital media offerings certainly have problems fitting into the various interpretations of the well-worn Acts and Regulations which the CRTC must attempt to apply to emerging new services and their packaging plans.
The latest target is Videotron’s Unlimited Music service. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s complaint about the service which launched in August by the Quebecor-owned cable and wireless company has found a number of supporters. Rogers Communications is standing alongside its media arm and other radio broadcasters in calling the streaming music service anti-competitive.
Rogers and its allies argue…
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NEW ORLEANS – With the Gigabit Era clearly upon us, cable operators are now fervently searching for the best way to enter that era and the best next-gen technologies to make that entry successful.
This search was very much in evidence at last week's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo show in New Orleans. Over the course of three days, teams of MSO technologists marched from booth to booth on the exhibit floor, hoping to uncover the right mix of equipment and software that would enable them to introduce gigabit speeds sooner rather than later (here in Canada, Rogers and Eastlink – not…
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TORONTO – Telus has teamed up with Fleet Complete and Intact Insurance to create a fleet-management insurance offer for Canadian businesses.
The easy-to-use GPS fleet tracking solution from Telus provides realtime visibility into the location of fleet vehicles and integrates with the Intact Insurance platform to report on performance that may result in reduced insurance costs, while also encouraging safer driving.
"Telus Fleet Tracker is one of the most comprehensive and widely used fleet tracking solutions in Canada," said Telus’ VP of the Internet of Things Shawn Sanderson, in the news release. "my Fleet Solution takes this offering one step further…
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WILLIAMS LAKE, BC – Telus says that more than 90% of homes and businesses in Williams Lake will soon be directly connected to its fibre optic network, enabling the community to access Internet speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
The company began initial construction work in the community in August, and expects to have the final homes and businesses connected in the coming months. The $14 million investment is part of Telus’ commitment to invest $4 billion throughout B.C. through 2018, at no cost to taxpayers.
“Direct fibre connection unleashes infinite possibilities now and into the future,” said Telus GM for…
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OTTAWA – The Recycle My Cell Student Challenge is back for a sixth year, so c’mon kids and gather up those old mobile devices.
As the national sponsor of the 2015 Waste Reduction Week in Canada, Recycle My Cell will kick off the Student Challenge on October 19. The Challenge, running until November 18, strives to keep old wireless devices out of landfills, and aims to engage young Canadians in raising awareness about e-waste management.
The school in each province and territory that collects the most cell phones (based on school population) will be awarded $500 to be used towards a school…
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TORONTO – On Monday, Rogers Communications made a commitment to 4K, ultra-high definition TV that no one else on the globe has yet made.
Beginning in 2016, the company will broadcast over 100 live sporting events (300 hours at least) in 4K, including all Toronto Blue Jays home games and at least 20 NHL games. It is also bringing to market a brand new Cisco 4K set top box for its cable customers, upon which Netflix will ride as an app, the company announced Monday.
Speaking of the global OTT video leader, Rogers has also signed a…
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EDMONTON – Telus unveiled some nifty smart-home innovations that it says will be possible when homes in British Columbia and Alberta are connected to its fibre optic network.
The 560-square-foot Future Home (pictured) was on display last week in Edmonton and will visit Drumheller on October 15, followed by stops in Calgary (October 21), Kelowna (November 3), West Kelowna (November 15), Kamloops (November 24) and Port Coquitlam (December 3).
Built to simulate a small condo, Future Home features security systems that uses facial recognition to secure and unlock the doors; smart cooktops that provide a step-by-step demonstration of a new recipe and then calculate the meal’s nutritional…
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TORONTO – It is expected that Rogers Communications will announce Rogers Ignite Gigabit Internet today at noon during a press event at the Rogers Centre.
The service will be available later this year in parts of Toronto, along with Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Ajax, Pickering and Whitby. With downstream speeds up to 1 Gbps (1000Mbps) Ignite Gb will then be available across the company’s cable footprint, from St. Thomas, Ontario to St John’s Newfoundland, in 2016. No pricing details are yet available.
The move is a swing back at Bell, which launched a Gb fibre plan in Toronto and other areas…
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VANCOUVER – Telus said Friday that it will spend $1 billion to make Vancouver the world’s next gigabit-enabled city.
The Vancouver-based company will connect the majority of the city’s homes and businesses directly to its fibre optic network over the next five years. When the first neighbourhoods are fully connected early next year, local residents and businesses will be able to take advantage of Internet speeds of up to 150 megabits per second, which will increase in the coming years to keep pace with demand.
"Bringing fibre optic infrastructure directly to homes and businesses is a generational investment, and the most…
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VANCOUVER – Telus has officially unveiled its new headquarters, dubbed Telus Garden, in downtown Vancouver.
The $750 million development includes a 24-storey office tower built to new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards, a 53-storey residential building set to open next year, numerous storefronts, and Telus’ flagship 2,300 square foot retail store.
According to the company’s news release, the one million-square foot development has transformed an underutilized prime block of downtown real estate between Georgia, Robson, Seymour and Richards Streets into a showcase of architecture, design, environmental stewardship, and advanced technology.
"When we first imagined this project five years ago,…
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