OTTAWA – The CRTC is ending the 5% limitation on the carry-over of Canadian programming over-expenditures and the obligation to use them in the subsequent broadcast year, but broadcasters currently subject to it will have to apply to have it removed.
The CRTC’s decision follows previous filings by both Rogers and Bell that argued the 5% cap limited their flexibility. Rogers submitted that the cap reduced its ability to operate its Citytv conventional television stations and that some of its Canadian programming expenditures (CPE) were already committed to large budget productions during the first broadcast year…
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TORONTO – Reports that VimpelCom is preparing to drop its telecom assets in African and Asia is the “strongest signal to date that VimpelCom may eventually exit Wind Canada,” writes Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan.
Fan in his October 29 Equity Research report refers to a Financial Times (FT) report that VimpelCom (VIP), Wind Mobile Canada’s parent, is expected to sell its sub-Saharan African units and its Zimbabwean business, Telecom Zimbabwe. VimpelCom is also preparing for a sale of its three businesses in Cambodia and Laos as part of the company’s strategy to focus on…
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100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. – Travellers on highways near 100 Mile House will be able to use their cell phones thanks to a partnership with the province and Telus which has invested $1.8 million to provide new wireless coverage to stretches of highways in the area.
The three new wireless sites cover the Lone Butte to Bridge Lake segment of Highway 24 and the Lac la Hache to 141 Mile House stretch of Highway 97.
The sites are now live, providing service to more than 50 kilometres of highway as well as homes and businesses…
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OTTAWA – Canadians need an “enforceable, comprehensive wireless code” in light of the number and type of complaints highlighted in the Annual Report of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS), according to telecommunications advocacy group Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).
The CCTS Annual Report, released Thursday, indicated that 60% of all complaints received were from wireless service customers. The CCTS also handles internet and wireless service problems for Canadians after being given the mandate by the CRTC.
"The CCTS can only do so much: the wireless industry needs to step…
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DENIED. We’re still surprised (and most anyone who tells you they feel otherwise is pretty much full of it).
I mean, many of us had suggested a full-on denial could happen – and the overall tone of the public hearing last month surely had some believing it was a possibility, but it was pretty difficult to find anyone who would actually say with any certainty before Thursday afternoon this deal would be nixed. The CRTC hasn’t really fully said “No” to a significant deal since Vidéotron tried to buy CFCF in the 1990s and Power Corporation wanted to buy Quebec…
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VANCOUVER – Telus has invested $1.3 million to bring its 4G LTE network to Comox, Courtenay and Campbell River.
With this expansion, Telus now offers 4G LTE on Vancouver Island from Victoria through to Campbell River. Additional B.C. communities will be getting access to 4G in the coming months, as the carrier brings the technology to nearly 90% of the province’s population by the end of 2012.
“We are committed to offering you the best customer experience. A key part of that promise is bringing our 4G LTE service to Comox, Courtenay, Campbell River…
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WATERLOO – Research In Motion has been selected by EnStream LP, a joint venture of Canadian carriers Bell, Rogers and Telus, to provide its Secure Element Manager (SEM) solution to manage credentials on wireless handsets in Canada that support Near Field Communication (NFC) services. NFC-enabled smartphones can be used as “digital wallets” that allow payments to be deducted from stored accounts simply by placing the phone in front of a transponder at the retail point of sale. SaskTel also confirmed they have partnered with EnStream and will exclusively utilize their Secure Element Management (SEM) platform.
RIM's…
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THE ASTONISHED FEEDBACK came fast and furious late Thursday as people tried to give voice to their feelings on the Commission decision to deny Bell Canada’s $3.4 billon purchase of Astral Media.
******************** “Like most observers, we had expected conditional approval,” said analyst Dvai Ghose of Canaccord Genuity in a note to clients. “This could also have implications for other potential media transactions such as Shaw-Corus, although in that case both entities are already controlled by the Shaw family. We also believe that the speculation of a Corus bid for Astral could rise and could be more palatable for regulators.
“While…
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VANCOUVER – Telus shareholders have voted strongly in favour of a proposal to exchange the company's non-voting shares for common shares on a one-for-one basis says the telecom. But Mason Capital responded that it participated in the meeting under protest and would be appealing an earlier court decision which allowed the vote to take place.
Of the total shares voted, 81.1% were in favour of Telus' share exchange proposal, with 62.9% of the 128.8 million common shares voting in favour, and 99.5% of the 127.7 million non-voting shares voting in favour. Excluding Mason's most recently reported…
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MONTREAL- Telus and the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Quebec Chapter (AFP) are honouring three outstanding and committed community leaders in the greater Montreal region, the top three winners of the Telus Community Excellence Awards. They are: Manon Barbeau, Co-founder, Executive Director and Artistic Director, Wapikoni mobile; Ugo Dionne, Co-Founder, Bénévoles d'affaires; and Bernard Lamarre, Chairman of the board, École Polytechnique.
The honour was part of the Telus Celebration of Giving in Montreal, an annual event that brings together 150 professionals and volunteers from the community sector. Through the event Telus recognizes the generosity and dedicated work of…
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