TORONTO – The explosion of connected devices and streaming services in the home that rely on Wi-Fi connectivity has resulted in the need for smarter Wi-Fi networks that can provide extended, uniform coverage and can serve as the foundation for Internet of Things in the home.
Wi-Fi mesh will not only “blanket a home with a strong Wi-Fi signal,” says Peter Vandenengel, president of Wi-Fi equipment tester Netperian, but such systems can also be set to automatically fix connectivity issues as they arise, centralize the control of data, media, and smart devices, as well as provide network analytics. Vandenengel provided…
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Leftover data, that is
WINNIPEG – In advance of November, 14th, the official day it will begin accepting new customers, Xplore Mobile unveiled today the Rollover, its new wireless plan which will allow customers to roll over their last month's unused data.
"Manitobans have been asking for a wireless company that treats them fairly and offers plans that are simple, affordable and transparent. We want to be that company," said Allison Lenehan, president of Xplore Mobile in the press release.
Xplore Mobile recently launched its service by welcoming approximately 20,000 mobile customers transferred from Bell Mobility (all of whom had recently been…
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OTTAWA – After recently challenging the aggressive sales practices of telecom companies at a CRTC hearing in Gatineau the prior week, John Lawford was across the river in Ottawa taking another swipe at telcos at the annual conference of the International Institute of Communications Canadian chapter.
Lawford, executive director and general counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, was given 15 minutes on Thursday to make his case in a presentation called “Lust, Lies and Stupidity: Thirty Years of Canadian Telecom Policy.” This time his message was specifically aimed for members of the federal government’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review…
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From Right Hand Man: How Phil Lind Guided the Genius of Ted Rogers
By Phil Lind with Robert Brehl
IN 2013, HALFWAY THROUGH its mandate, Stephen Harper’s government was looking tired and bereft of captivating political ideas for the next election. It was then that the Conservative PM wrapped himself in his “Captain Consumer” cape and launched an assault upon Canada’s big three wireless phone companies: Rogers, Bell, and Telus.
He and his government were going to lower monthly wireless bills for consumers by cracking the cartel. Harper painted us as Russian-style oligopolists who feared increased competition, which was unfair and…
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LONDON, UK – Canadian wireless carriers received high marks for its consumer mobile video experience, ranking ahead of all other countries in North and South America, including the U.S., says mobile analytics company OpenSignal.
As a follow up to last month's State of Mobile Video Report, OpenSignal is now drilling down into the specifics of various regions, starting first with the Americas. Canada and Bolivia lead the Americas in the video experience analysis, with scores of 59.9 and 55, respectively, on a 100 point scale, landing both countries firmly in the Good category of video experience scale. The U.S. fell into to the Fair…
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GATINEAU – With the large Canadian telecom players reading the writing on the wall (where it appears the Commission is seriously considering some sort of new code of conduct for telecom sales practices) a few of the larger carriers last week set out some ideas for commissioners to consider while they deliberate.
Each company last week essentially told the CRTC during its hearing into telecom sales practices the same thing: “There’s no problem with us when it comes to selling wired or wireless products and services to Canadians.” If there is, added most of the intervenors, the problem stems mainly…
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GATINEAU – Back in August, when the CRTC and researcher Ipsos launched a survey on what Canadians think of the sales practices of Canadian telecom companies, much private (and some public) hue and cry arose from the carriers across the country.
The tight timeline for Ipsos to finish the survey and the weak overall structure and wording of the questions could only lead to negative answers, they said. They were right. The results came back substantially negative, but does that mean they have a point? Does the survey’s supposedly skewed queries mean the results should be tossed out?
Consumers and consumer…
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GATINEAU – If we may paraphrase some of the reaction by TekSavvy, Tbaytel and Eastlink representatives Wednesday morning in front of the CRTC it would be: "It seems strange to mandate us to continue being nice to our customers."
These three smaller independents (respectively, a wholesaler, a municipally owned telco and a regional wired and wireless carrier) also all had the same story to tell when it came to the dubious sales practices which have been so far outlined by consumers during the CRTC’s Telecom Sales Practices hearing this week in Gatineau:…
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Telecom Act takes precedence when it comes to rights of way, siting, etc.
CALGARY – The Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta told the city of Calgary in no uncertain terms that it has no right to regulate where, when, why and how telecom infrastructure can be installed in the city.
In January Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications and Telus Corp. filed a motion to strike down a bylaw passed by the city to regulate the process for, access and use of municipal rights of way for telecommunications providers.
In a decision released Friday, the court agreed with the four large…
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YOU HAVE TO SYMPATHIZE with the folks who took the time to register their frustration with Canadian telcos and cellcos by filing an intervention to the CRTC’s latest hearing which begins Monday.
They feel lied to. They believe they were told one thing and sold another. That they were never informed how the price they agreed to was just a promotion which ends in six months. That they told sales reps the products and services they wanted and then had other things added onto their bills. That they ended up on a contract they didn’t want.
Having read through quite a…
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