By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Should Northwestel (NWTel) be able to lower its Internet access rates? Intuitively, considering its rates are exceedingly high, we would be inclined to say yes but … it is not that simple.
As NWTel reminds us in its application to the CRTC in December 2021, “We are the only company in Canada to have retail rate regulation of our Internet services.”
BCE owned NWTel, which serves Canada’s North, is regulated differently than other telecom companies – a reflection its own specific circumstances.
Because of the high cost of providing service, it receives significant subsidies from southern telcos but is…
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TORONTO – In the wake of Tony Staffieri being made permanent president and CEO of Rogers Communications, there have been several major changes to the company’s leadership team.
To start, the role of chief legal and regulatory officer, which was held by Lisa Damiani since spring of 2021, is no longer listed on the company’s leadership page. (Update: Damiani is staying on as an advisor for the Shaw transaction.)
Instead, Ted Woodhead, who was the company’s senior vice-president of regulatory, is now listed as chief regulatory officer and government affairs and Marisa Wyse is listed as chief legal officer. Woodhead first…
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By Ahmad Hathout
PRINCE RUPERT TELECOM CityWest disputed a claim by Telus subsidiary Mascon that Quadra Island in British Columbia is mostly covered by the latter with federal goal speeds, according to a February 2021 information note obtained via a freedom of information request.
B.C.’s Ministry of Citizens’ Services, which manages telecom issues, also fielded a concern emerging from a Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) forum held that February that some rural communities would be excluded from the federal government’s $2.75-billion Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) program “resulting from discrepancies” in Innovation Canada broadband service maps, which allegedly show higher speeds…
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“… we won’t stop there,” minister says
OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada announced today mid-range wireless plans have been reduced by 25% three months before the federal government’s target date.
The government initially announced it was committing to tracking and lowering the cost of mid-range wireless plans from Virgin (Bell), Koodo (Telus) and Fido (Rogers) over the course of two years in March 2020. (The latest tracking report, which has pricing from October to December 2021 for each of the provinces, can be found here.)
Benchmark prices were “based on prices advertised on company websites in early…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications received top scores in umlaut’s fixed broadband certification report, released today, including the highest total score at 929 out of a possible 1,000 (see chart above).
Telus and Bell meanwhile received total scores of 910 and 903 respectively. (Scores have been rounded.)
The scores are broken down by speed downlink, speed uplink and latency (see chart below).
Rogers received a score of 482 out of a maximum of 500 for speed downlink, while Telus scored 467 and Bell scored 464. For speed uplink, Rogers scored 220 out of a possible 250, Telus scored 207 and Bell scored 198.
For…
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TORONTO — Mediapro Canada announced today its dedicated soccer channel OneSoccer is gearing up to cover the Canadian men’s national team’s upcoming matches in the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers.
OneSoccer will air live coverage of the Canadian men’s away qualifier in Honduras on Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. This will be followed by a critical home qualifier against the USA team at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field on Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
The final match in this fourth FIFA World Cup qualifying window will see the Canadian team travel back…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – China Mobile is asking the Federal Court to compel the Governor in Council and Innovation Canada to release records it says were used to banish the telecom reseller from the country on national security grounds.
The motion to disclose the records, filed on Jan. 14, came after China Mobile said the office of the Privy Council denied the release of the records on public interest grounds late last month because it was under confidence. The court heard the motion last week.
China Mobile seeks the production of materials from the Governor in Council and the innovation minister,…
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By Denis Carmel
In a recent Canadian Transportation Agency Notice of Coasting Trade License Application, we learned that IT International Telecom Canada, an international company specializing in submarine cable installation and maintenance, applied for a coasting trade waiver in the coastal waters of Canada to install a new subsea fibre communication cable named “Sunoque III” between Sept-Îles and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.
The cable will be approximately 130 kms long, and the work has to be performed between April 15, 2022 and April 30, 2022, by the ship IT Intrepid (pictured above) for Telus, Hydro-Québec, and Bell Canada.
Since 2013, IT Telecom has obtained…
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MONTRÉAL – Cogeco has wanted to move into wireless for several years now, and while progress has been made towards that goal, it has been a marathon, not a sprint.
This was clear last Friday during an annual press briefing prior to the company’s annual general meeting, when Cogeco president and CEO Philippe Jetté highlighted the continued development of the company’s mobile wireless plans as one of its achievements of the year. (While Jetté gave his speech in French, Cogeco provided an English translation.)
Jetté listed Cogeco’s acquisition of 38 new spectrum licences last July and the CRTC’s decision last…
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OTTAWA — Satellite operator Telesat and ENCQOR 5G, a Canada-Quebec-Ontario initiative focused on 5G technology research and innovation, announced today a new strategic partnership to accelerate the delivery of next-generation 5G networks across Canada.
“In cooperation with the ENCQOR 5G program, Telesat will conduct demonstrations, trials and pilots that will advance 5G connectivity, particularly to industries operating in rural areas,” reads a Telesat press release.
“This includes the utilization of the ENCQOR testbed, satellite assets, as well as national and international 5G infrastructures. The partnership will also allow both Telesat and ENCQOR 5G to collaborate with other industries, academia, and organizations…
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