BURNABY, BC and TORONTO – Talks of a merger began Wednesday between the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) and the United Steelworkers (USW).
“I am pleased that our union’s local leaders from across Canada have voted for us to work toward a merger with the USW that will improve the working lives of our members and their families,” said TWU national president Lee Riggs in a joint statement from the two unions.
A tentative merger agreement between the two unions, who have had a formal strategic alliance since 2010, would focus on mutual commitments to bargaining, education,…
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VANCOUVER – Telus says a recent phone scam affecting customers primarily in B.C. and Alberta is fraudulent and is warning its customers to hang up if they receive such a call.
The latest scam involves “spoofing,” where the caller reprograms the caller ID signal to make it appear they are calling from a legitimate business, claiming to represent that organization.
The caller claims to be from Telus or another company, saying the person they called has won a prize. Other variants of the scam ask you to press 1 to receive a prize. The customer…
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STRATHROY and GEORGETOWN, ON – Telus announced Wednesday the expansion of its 4G LTE wireless network service to Strathroy and Georgetown, Ontario.
The addition of the two Ontario communities follows last week’s 4G LTE network launch in Atlantic Canada: Annapolis Valley (Wolfville, Port Williams and Kentville), Nova Scotia, and Edmundston and Miramichi, New Brunswick.
Telus’ 4G LTE service now covers more than 70% of the Canadian population across approximately 170 markets.
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VANCOUVER, BC – Telus announced today that the Galaxie music app that’s already included with its Optik TV service is now available free on smartphones for Optik TV subscribers.
Once the app is downloaded to a smartphone or tablet, Optik TV customers will be able to use the Galaxie Music app by authenticating using their Optik TV accounts, free of charge.
“Customers want choice when it comes to entertainment, especially with their music. Telus is pleased to provide Optik subscribers with a Galaxie Music experience not only on their TVs but through their smartphones as…
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TORONTO – Mobilicity has once again postponed its debtholder vote on its recapitalization plan to July 10.
This is the second time the vote has been postponed from its original June 27 date.
Mobilicity president and COO Stewart Lyons said in a statement the vote was rescheduled to allow the board to consider “potential alternatives” for the company.
Last month, the Globe and Mail reported that the company was in acquisition talks with Verizon. The American telco has also put forward a $700 million bid for Wind Canada. Mobilicity has been seeking another buyer…
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TORONTO – A group of Canadian telcos, including Rogers, Bell, and Telus, have filed a court motion seeking leave to appeal from certain sections of the CRTC’s wireless code they say are unclear about when the code actually comes into effect.
In a motion filed by the Big Three, along with MTS Inc., NorthernTel, SaskTel, Télébec, and Société en Commandite, the companies contend that the CRTC overstepped its jurisdiction by attempting to make the code “retrospectively applicable” to wireless contracts that were created before the code comes into effect on December 2, 2013.
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TORONTO – Reaction to last week’s news of Verizon’s entry into the Canadian wireless market has sent Telus and Rogers shares into decline, while market caps for BCE, Shaw, Bell Aliant and MTS have increased – a move that Canaccord Genuity analyst Dvai Ghose calls “baffling.”
Ghose says Rogers and Telus were oversold based on the perceived risk of Verizon entering Canada. Rogers and Telus shares have dropped 10.3% and 12.1%, respectively since June 17, when the Globe and Mail first reported Verizon was looking at getting into the Canadian market by purchasing Wind Mobile. In…
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TORONTO – Canadians who bundle their television, Internet and telephone services with the same provider are generally happier customers and are likely to recommend their provider to family and friends, according to a J.D. Power report released Thursday.
According to the Television Provider Customer Satisfaction Study, 83% of customers bundle their TV and Internet service with the same provider, while 17% subscribe to just TV service with their telecom provider. Among customers who bundle, 59% also have telephone service with their provider—commonly referred to as a triple-play package.
(The Television Provider Customer Satisfaction Study measures overall satisfaction with television providers based…
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THE BIG NEWS WEDNESDAY was that American telco Verizon has made a real offer to buy Wind Canada from its majority owner, VimpelCom. The Globe and Mail cited sources who claim that the big U.S. firm has put an opening bid of $700 million on the table and is also talking to Mobilicity about a potential purchase of that distressed company.
The speculation (nobody from any of the companies will confirm anything at this point, beyond reports last week from Verizon CFO Fran Shammo that the company is taking a peek north) caused Canadian telecom shares…
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TORONTO – Telus and Rogers both announced today they are each offering the fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, as well as the iPad mini with Wi-Fi + cellular.
Both carriers are offering the new iPads with a range of contract-free data plans to connect to either Telus’s 4G network or to Rogers’ LTE network.
The fourth generation iPad features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. The iPad mini is 23% thinner and about half the weight of the third generation iPad and comes with…
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