OTTAWA – Canada’s publicly traded television service providers combined lost almost six times more TV subscribers in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, and almost double what they lost in all of 2014, according to new research released Wednesday.
Ottawa-based research and consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services also found that BCE, Rogers, Shaw/Shaw Direct, Vidéotron, Cogeco, Telus, and MTS (IPTV subscribers only) combined lost approximately 113,700 TV subscribers in their respective fiscal 2015 first and second quarters, up significantly from the 19,200 lost in the same quarters in 2014, and almost double…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Corus Entertainment has announced that Teletoon Retro will cease to exist as of September 1st.
The company's Cartoon Network Canada will be shifted into its place for those TV providers who don’t already carry that channel, two carrier sources have told Cartt.ca. Both sources asked not to be named as they do not have permission to speak publicly on the matter but have been told by Corus representatives that is the plan.
While some had assumed that the channel would be rebranded as a Disney service, since Corus now owns the rights to that programming going forward and will…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – This is a surprise.
Telus announced this morning that Joe Natale is stepping down as president and CEO. The move “follows an extensive review” by the company’s board that concluded late Friday, reads this morning’s press release.
Natale “recently indicated that a move to Western Canada would not work for him and his family for several years and the board determined that the company would be best served by having its chief executive officer reside in the west,” continues the press release.
“Mr. Natale has agreed to serve in an executive, non-board capacity through year-end to ensure a smooth leadership transition….
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER — Telus reported strong consolidated revenue growth in the second quarter of 2015 as a result of higher data revenue in both its wireless and wireline businesses.
Overall, the company’s consolidated operating revenue grew 5.1% to $3.1 billion in the second quarter of 2015, compared to revenue of $2.95 billion in Q2 2014. Wireless network revenues increased by $90 million or 6.1% to $1.57 billion in the second quarter of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. This growth was driven by an 18% increase in wireless data revenue in the second quarter.
On the wireline side of the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO and OTTAWA-GATINEAU — Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc. (CNOC) is asking the CRTC to mandate both Full Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) national wholesale access services and wholesale tower and site sharing services.
CNOC made the request in an application it submitted Monday to the CRTC to “review and vary” the Commission’s Regulatory framework for wholesale mobile wireless services, (Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-177). In its policy decision, issued in May, the Commission chose to regulate wholesale roaming services but continued to forbear from the regulation of MVNO and tower and site sharing services.
In its “review and vary”…
Continue Reading
TORONTO, OTTAWA, WINNIPEG and REGINA — Signalling its exit from the wireless network market in the prairie provinces, and just days after it made the original applications, Wind Mobile’s proposed sell-off of AWS-1 spectrum to Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) and SaskTel was approved by Industry Canada on Friday.
In separate announcements, MTS said it will pay $45 million to buy 15 MHz of paired AWS-1 spectrum in Manitoba from Wind Mobile, while SaskTel will acquire six licences of paired AWS-1 spectrum in Saskatchewan for an undisclosed sum.
Industry Canada approved the two spectrum licence transfer deals Friday morning, publishing its separate…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — Describing it as functioning much like an “app store” for Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Telus announced Wednesday its IoT Marketplace hub has doubled in size since launching in December 2014, now offering more than 75 turn-key IoT solutions from 25 partners.
The Telus IoT Marketplace provides Canadian businesses with an online catalogue of ready-to-implement wireless network solutions that can simply be added as a monthly charge to their Telus bill, “dramatically simplifying the complexity and reducing the deployment time of IoT technology”, Telus said in a press release.
“IoT has clearly captivated Canadian business leaders by demonstrating…
Continue Reading
PORT HARDY, BC — Telus has invested $14 million to build out a fibre optic network in Northern Vancouver Island, allowing residents, businesses, healthcare facilities and schools to access dramatically faster, higher-capacity Internet and data connections.
The fibre network will also enable Telus to enhance wireless service in the area, by providing the capacity needed to upgrade existing sites to 4G LTE. Telus said in a press release that it expects to complete the wireless upgrades within the next year.
The new infrastructure runs 150 kilometres through part of the traditional territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations from the Sayward Junction…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL — Telus has chosen marketing analytics company Aimia as its loyalty platform partner for its new Telus Rewards Program, Aimia announced Monday in a press release.
“As part of our commitment to put customers first in everything we do, we wanted to offer a loyalty program that provided added value to our customers,” Simone Lumsden, vice-president of customer relationship marketing and engagement for Telus, said in the news release. “Aimia provided us with the expertise and marketing technology to fulfill this commitment.”
Telus customers participating in the program will be able to earn and redeem Telus Rewards points to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – An independent ISP and a big cable company are both lauding Wednesday’s CRTC’s wholesale wireline decision as a win-win.
TekSavvy Solutions hailed the ruling, saying that if implemented properly, it will allow independent competitors to take their game to the next level. Rogers Communications, on the other hand, said that the ruling levels the playing field between cablecos and the incumbent telcos.
Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 determined that access to the ILECs last mile fibre facilities is an essential service and mandated access to competitors. It also ushers in a disaggregated wholesale high speed access (HSA) model…
Continue Reading
