OTTAWA – Two big story lines emerged from Friday's Industry Canada’s AWS-3 spectrum auction results: Rogers Communications failed to secure any additional spectrum, while Telus forked over more than $1.5 billion for 15 licences with a combined population coverage of 30 million Canadians.
The results, released Friday morning, show that Bell Mobility, Bragg Communications (Eastlink), Videotron and Wind Mobile were the other winners. Full details on the amounts paid and licences won are available here.
With Mobilicity unable to secure the financing required to compete in the auction, Wind Mobile scooped up the coveted 30 MHz set-aside licences in British…
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OTTAWA – The bidding war for AWS-3 spectrum kicked off Tuesday with Industry Minister James Moore reiterating the federal government’s commitment to “delivering more choice for consumers in the wireless market”.
"Canadians have been clear: they want their government to make decisions that will lead to more choice, lower prices and better service in the wireless sector”, Minister Moore said in a statement. “With 60 percent of the available spectrum set aside solely for bids from new competitors, this auction has been designed to support competition.”
Ten applicants qualified to bid during the AWS-3 spectrum auction: Bell Mobility, Bragg Communications (Eastlink),…
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MONTREAL – Just in time for the start of the NHL playoffs, TVA Group has announced plans to launch new sports service TVA Sports 3.
The French-language channel will air approximately 90 NHL games, including all Montreal Canadiens matchups, reads Thursday’s announcement. TVA Sports, TVA Sports 2 and TVA Sports 3 will air every NHL game, every night as 16 teams battle for the Stanley Cup.
Videotron, Rogers, Bell Fibe TV / Bell Satellite TV and Telus Optik TV have already confirmed the distribution of the new channel, which will be available in April and May to all subscribers of TVA…
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TORONTO – As instances of cybercrime continue to grow, Telus and Public Safety Canada are teaming up on a campaign encouraging Canadians to secure the personal information they store on their mobile devices.
The #BeAppSafe campaign, which launched Tuesday, aims to increase awareness of how to use applications safely on mobile devices, and shares tips on how Canadians can protect devices and information when on the go in order to help reduce the risk of cyber criminals accessing personal data, misusing photos, spamming friends or family, tracking their location, or even stealing their identity.
"At Telus, we understand how critically important apps…
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TORONTO – Telus has finalized a new partnership with global Internet of Things (IoT) platform leader Jasper that it says will help Canadian businesses to launch, manage and monetize IoT services.
The Telus Control Centre, a purpose-built IoT service platform provided by Santa Clara, Calif-based Jasper, promises to simplify the deployment and management of IoT services by offering automated device provisioning, real-time diagnostics, integrated billing, and deep reporting and cost-management features. The self-service platform manages the entire lifecycle of an IoT service, enabling companies to introduce new business models, go to market faster and scale over time to meet…
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TORONTO – As part of a media tour in Toronto last week, SaskTel president and CEO Ron Styles sat down with Cartt.ca to discuss the telecom company’s most recent financial year and its upcoming projects. However, he declined to comment on this spring’s upcoming AWS-3 spectrum auction, of which SaskTel is one of the applicants planning to bid on licences in Saskatchewan.
“We’re prohibited by the federal government to discuss that, while the auction is getting ready to kick off,” Styles (pictured) explained. “I can’t really comment on AWS-3 at all, otherwise I’ll be getting a call.”
As…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has directed all incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) that have support structure services to revise the definition of subscriber drop wire in their respective tariffs.
The decision comes as a result of a show cause proceeding initiated by the Commission last November that urged ILECs to be consistent with the revised definition of subscriber drop wire established for Bell Aliant in a billing dispute between that company and Eastlink over payments for service poles.
As Cartt.ca reported, the Regulator clarified in the Bell Aliant/Eastlink matter that a “service pole” is to include all poles on…
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OTTAWA – Despite assertions from Bell Media and Telus to the contrary, there is nothing “frivolous or vexatious” about its complaint over the tied selling of Bell’s CraveTV streaming service to existing TV subscription services, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC).
In a response to the CRTC dated February 17, PIAC-CAC asked the CRTC to both reject requests by Bell and Telus to dismiss its application, and to deny Bell’s alternative request for an extension of time to file an answer. The seven page document goes on to refute Bell’s allegation that the…
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OTTAWA – Bell Media’s Mary Ann Turcke has been named Woman of the Year by Women in Communications and Technology (WCT).
Turcke, pictured, began her career at Bell as VP of customer experience and operations for Small & Medium Business in 2005 and was later promoted to EVP of field services in 2008. In 2014, she was appointed group president of media sales, local TV and radio at Bell Media where she oversees almost $2 billion in media sales across multiple platforms as well as local TV and radio in English Canada. Turcke also serves on the boards of Maple…
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GRIMSBY, ONT. — Early bird registration is now open for two Canadian CommTech shows happening this spring in the Toronto area and Calgary.
CommTech East will take place from April 14-15 at the Mississauga Convention Centre in Mississauga, Ont., with early bird rates available until February 27. CommTech West is scheduled from May 27-28 at the Coast Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre in Calgary, with early bird registration ending March 15.
“Due to the early support and endorsement of Rogers, Telus, the SCTE Ontario Chapter, and our long-standing platinum sponsor, Power & Tel, we are able to offer two shows again…
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