TORONTO — The federal government “must dramatically reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry to accelerate 5G deployment,” says the newest report from the C.D. Howe Institute’s telecommunications policy working group – which includes top regulatory experts and executives from Canada’s biggest telecom companies, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco and Eastlink.
“Telecommunications providers face obstacles in gaining access rights to infrastructure for installing telecommunications facilities. These barriers, alongside difficulty navigating government incentive programs for expanded connectivity, could stall the federal government’s aim of extending high-speed internet coverage to 98 percent of households by 2026,” reads a press…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – On January 19, 2021, WildBrain Television, which owns kids and family-focused specialty services aimed at children filed an application with the CRTC against Cogeco Cable, claiming the BDU did not follow the principles of the TV Wholesale Code and the standstill obligations which forbids the discontinuation of service carriage during negotiations.
However, an intervention filed in support of Wildbrain’s complaint explores a deeper issue: The code is broken because large distributors like Cogeco hold too much power over smaller broadcasters like Wildbrain, which owns Family Channel, Family CHRGD, Family Junior and Telemagino.
Wildbrain’s complaint is a central…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – With the latest and greatest smartphones now costing more than $2,000, Rogers Communications launched new device financing plans in July 2019, which would let customers spread the cost of a new handset over 36 months, paying $0 up front, if they wanted.
Rogers (and Telus and Ice Wireless, which followed their competitor’s lead) was convinced the device financing plans were on side with the CRTC’s Wireless Code of Conduct because the no-interest financed phones were not tied to a wireless service plan. If customers wanted to leave for another provider, all they had to do was…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Optik TV customers who are also animal lovers and birdwatchers can now watch live streamer Jessica Duquette, also known as the Canadian Bird Nerd on Telus Optik TV.
Birdwatching and other nature-focused live streams have become a source of comfort for people to watch during the pandemic and viewers have come to enjoy watching “the drama in Jessica’s backyard unfold, the lead characters being the birds along with special guest appearances from other critters,” says a release from Telus.
“Jessica battles a number of challenges in her life, including chronic illness and living in isolation. Through her passion for…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — On the one-year anniversary of the CRTC’s denial of a request by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) to require Telus flanker brand Koodo Mobile and other wireless service providers to provide paper bills upon request, the federal cabinet announced today it will not rescind the Commission’s decision nor refer it to back for reconsideration – because the Regulator is actually studying the matter already.
After the CRTC denied their joint application on March 3, 2020, PIAC and the NPF filed a petition to the Governor in Council on June…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Shaw Business announced Thursday the launch of a new 1.5 Gbps speed tier “designed to give businesses of all sizes the speeds and bandwidth to leverage the data-heavy applications and cloud services they need to manage and grow their operations.”
New and existing customers can now access download speeds up to 1.5 Gbps through one of two plans — SmartWiFi Gig 1.5, which pairs these speeds with Shaw Business’ enterprise-grade Wi-Fi solution, or as a standalone plan with Business Internet Gig 1.5.
“Over the past year, businesses have increased their demand for access to fast and reliable internet connections….
Continue Reading
SWIFT outlines its top five lessons
By Greg O’Brien
OTTAWA – The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, which continues its study on the accessibility and affordability of telecom services, must now be inured to overheated rhetoric, but Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau took it a bit further on Tuesday.
After, rightly, singing his own company’s praises when it comes to connecting Quebecers, spending billions on home internet and delivering serious wireless competition in the province and then taking his usual swings at Bell Canada’s “obstruction”, he took aim at third party internet service providers, saying they deliver “zero” in…
Continue Reading
Working group includes members from Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco, Eastlink and CWTA
TORONTO — Investment in the telecommunications sector is key to Canada’s future prosperity and governments must focus on regulatory clarity, timeliness and stability to help drive greater investments in critically needed infrastructure, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
The think tank today issued the first communiqué from its telecommunications policy working group which includes among its 19 members the chief regulatory experts from Bell, Rogers and Telus, as well as executives from Cogeco, Eastlink and Shaw Communications, and CWTA president and CEO Robert Ghiz. The…
Continue Reading
STOCKHOLM — Ericsson announced today it is launching three new lightweight radios in its massive MIMO portfolio and six new RAN Compute products, all designed to help accelerate 5G mid-band rollouts, the company says.
Weighing only 20 kilograms, the new mid-band massive MIMO 5G radios from Ericsson’s antenna-integrated radio (AIR) portfolio are up to 45% lighter than the previous generation, and 20% more energy efficient, the company says in its press release.
The six new products being added to Ericsson’s RAN Compute portfolio include both indoor and outdoor options for 4G expansions and mid-band 5G deployments, with up to…
Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Bill C-10 passed second reading unanimously last Tuesday and was officially referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for study, which of course, has already begun.
The prior two meetings on the bill to amend the Broadcasting Act were, for all intents and purposes, labelled a pre-study of the legislation, in order to get a heard start hearing witnesses before the bill was approved in second reading.
So, officially, the meeting last Friday was the first meeting to officially look at the legislation.
However, the committee chair informed members and witnesses at the start of the meeting…
Continue Reading
