WOODSTOCK, N.B. — Xplornet Communications says it’s getting ready to deliver rural 5G wireless broadband in summer 2021 and today announced it has selected Ericsson as its technology supplier.
“Xplornet is taking a major step towards delivering the next generation of wireless connectivity in rural Canada,” said Allison Lenehan, president and CEO of Xplornet, in a press release. “Our agreement with Ericsson will provide Xplornet’s robust national network with 5G equipment to revolutionize the rural broadband experience across our country.”
Ericsson is supplying Xplornet with its 5G Ericsson Radio System, an end-to-end, integrated solution which will provide the rural-focused broadband…
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MONTREAL – The Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) and its partners — Telus, Bell, Rogers and Vidéotron — are proud to announce that the deployment of the 4G LTE mobile network is now complete in all 68 stations and 71 km of tunnels that make up Montréal’s metro system.
With the Jolicoeur, Monk and Angrignon stations connected today, this complex project, launched in 2013, has now been completed within its stated schedule, scope and budget, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The project involved an investment of nearly $50 million—funded in equal parts by telecommunications providers Telus (which was…
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TORONTO — As a follow-up to the release of its global 2020 Connectivity Outlook Report in September, BAI Communications this week released Toronto-specific data from the report, which shows a high percentage of Toronto rail users are interested in 5G connectivity and think they would benefit from an “evolved” transit network.
Specifically, 79% of rail users in Toronto said they are interested in 5G networks and connectivity, according to BAI Communications’ Toronto report, which was based on a survey of 498 rail users in Toronto aged 18+, during April 17-25, 2020.
Of the total Toronto rail users surveyed, 88%…
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By Denis Carmel
QUEBEC – Former CRTC Commissioner, Suzanne Lamarre is heavily involved in the government of Québec’s effort to speed the deployment of high-speed internet in rural and remote regions funded through the Québec Branché program.
We first heard of this when Bell issued a news release on October 30, announcing new measures to simplify the process of having access to its support structures. The same day, the CRTC announced potential regulatory measures to make access to poles owned by Canadian carriers more efficient.
“To accelerate the implementation of funded projects and meet deadlines, the Quebec government has set…
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OTTAWA — Consumer complaints to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) decreased 19% this year compared to last, according to the organization’s 2019-20 annual report released this morning.
This is the first year-over-year decline in the number of complaints reaching the CCTS since the 2015-16 fiscal year, says this year’s report, which covers the period from August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020.
In total, 15,868 complaints were filed this year, with 89% of them being successfully resolved by the parties following CCTS’s intervention. These complaints raised almost 43,000 issues, with the most common complaints related to billing problems,…
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Multiple funds, lack of co-ordination, remains a strumbling block
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Funding from Indigenous Services Canada for broadband on reserves has been limited because connectivity objectives often compete with other priority projects, such as energy, roads and bridges, according to the ministry.
The federal government also hasn’t targeted funding to ISC’s First Nation Infrastructure Fund specifically for those broadband objectives in federal budgets 2016, 2018 or 2019, the ministry said in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Cathy McLeod of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
“While connectivity projects are eligible for funding from the First Nation Infrastructure Fund, they often receive…
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MONTREAL — Cogeco and Cogeco Communications today announced the appointment of Zouheir Mansourati (above) as senior vice-president and chief technology officer for both companies, effective immediately.
“Zouheir’s years of experience in telecommunications combined with his drive, leadership and collaboration skills make him an ideal candidate for this highly strategic role at Cogeco,” said Philippe Jetté, president and CEO of Cogeco and Cogeco Communications, in a press release announcing Mansourati’s hiring. “In this role, he will further Cogeco’s technology and innovation strategy from vision to execution, and lead our plans for emerging technologies. I am excited to have him join…
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MONTREAL — Music and media company Stingray today announced its Stingray Music streaming service has launched more than 100 individually curated Christmas channels to get listeners in the mood for the holiday season.
Stingray Music’s holiday channels range from Best Christmas Songs of All Time, with favourites such as Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas”, to Christmas Party and the nostalgic classics of Christmas Crooners.
Dozens of special channels catering to every kind of music fan include A Very Punk-Rock Christmas, featuring “I Want You for Christmas” from Cheap Trick, and Soulful Holiday, featuring Aretha Franklin’s “Winter Wonderland”. Other…
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By John Bugailiskis
TWO YEARS AGO AT the 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit, industry executives largely agreed that for 5G to live up to its hype, service providers would have to forge new partnerships with non-traditional businesses and industries across Canada.
Jump ahead two years to yesterday’s virtual 2020 Telecom Summit panel on 5G and the only noticeable change is the (virtual) setting, not the outlook. The deployment of 5G will be marathon, not a sprint and the revolutionary changes will eventually arrive, but not for several more years predicted this year’s expert panel.
For telecom giants used to forging their own path…
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And why there’s much more to rural connectivity than funding
By Lynn Greiner
AN ADDITIONAL $1.75 BILLION for rural broadband, which the federal government announced this month, is certainly a good step, albeit delayed, in the right direction. But, it’s not enough.
“It’s not a silver bullet,” said Telus vice-president telecom policy and chief regulatory legal counsel Stephen Schmidt during the Canadian Telecom Summit’s annual Regulatory Blockbuster session on Wednesday. “It won’t work on its own… In our view, complementary spectrum policy reform is an essential companion piece that will ensure that the networks that get built with or without public…
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