MONTREAL – A Quebec Court of Appeal ruling could result in a class-action lawsuit over excessive international roaming fees charged by the country’s biggest wireless providers.
According to a Globe and Mail report, Rogers, Bell and Telus could be on the hook for millions of dollars for allegedly charging high international data roaming fees to Quebec customers that used their smartphones in the U.S. and other international destinations after January 8, 2010.
The potential lawsuit stems from a complaint made by a Rogers’ Fido customer in Montreal who was billed $250.81 in extra charges for using 40.82 megabytes of data…
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Bell wanted connecting links and line-sharing service included
GATINEAU — The CRTC announced Tuesday it has denied an application from Bell Canada to expand previous regulatory policy determinations regarding the unbundled local loop framework and the rates for certain wholesale legacy services.
In its Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 issued in July 2015, the Commission made a number of determinations regarding the regulatory framework for wholesale wireline services, including wholesale legacy services. Specifically, the CRTC determined that the provision of unbundled local loops (ULLs) would no longer be mandated and would be phased out, and that the rates for certain wholesale…
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MISSISSAUGA – Bell Canada today issued a press release saying it has successfully demonstrated fifth generation (5G) mobile technology in collaboration with Nokia.
Conducted at Bell's Wireless Innovation Centre in Mississauga, the trial used spectrum in the 73 GHz range to achieve sustained data speeds more than six times faster than top 4G mobile speeds now available in Canada, say the companies.
"The success of the first 5G trial means we are well positioned to lead the way to the next generation of mobile technology," said Stephen Howe, Bell's chief technology officer and executive vice president, in the release….
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VANCOUVER – Canadian fibre optic provider Dixon Networks is celebrating 50 years of helping Canadians connect and communicate.
The Vancouver-based company started in 1966 by connecting families in rural B.C. with basic telephone service. It now has offices in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, and counts Telus, Rogers, Shaw, Delta Cable, the Province of Ontario, Alberta SuperNet and the City of Burnaby among its customers.
“Dixon has been a quiet leader in Canada’s tech industry for fifty years,” said CEO Brian Harris. “We laid the fibre that allowed people across British Columbia to first surf the Web. Now, we’re building…
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THOMPSON, MB – Bell and MTS have announced plans to expand mobile and wireline broadband communications networks in northern regions of the province, including full LTE and HSPA+ wireless coverage for the Highway 6 corridor to Thompson, Manitoba's Hub of the North.
The two companies said Thursday that the plans also include new wireless and wireline broadband services for the indigenous communities of Easterville, Gods Lake Narrows, Gods River, Grand Rapids and Red Sucker Lake, plus enhanced broadband service for key mining centre Flin Flon.
“The Bell MTS broadband service improvements unveiled today will be the largest capital investment in wireless…
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a.k.a. net neutrality…
GATINEAU – There is pretty broad consensus among many of the interveners in the CRTC’s differential pricing consultation that the practice can have a positive impact on the ISP business, content providers and consumers.
First round comments to the Commission’s Examination of differential pricing practices related to Internet data plans (2016-192) revealed though that it’s not a cut and dried issue. For instance, Bell Canada argued that zero-rating and sponsored data pricing mechanisms – two differential pricing practices or DPPs – are common in the communications world.
The company pointed to toll free calling and time of use…
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EDMONTON – Stollery Children's Hospital has become the first Alberta hospital to offer the Upopolis social network to their young patients.
Powered by Telus Health and created by Kids' Health Links Foundation (KHLF), Upopolis.com is Canada's only private, secure and trusted online social network designed for kids and teens receiving medical care in hospitals and clinics. The site offers access to medical content written in kid-friendly language so patients can better understand their diagnosis and treatment plan, plus enables connections with other patients who share similar diagnoses through public and private discussion groups.
In addition to remaining securely and privately…
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GATINEAU – In an unsurprising decision, the CRTC denied Bell Canada’s request to review and vary the decision which gives third party independent Internet service providers access to incumbent networks’ newest fibre infrastructure.
Bell had submitted a Part 1 application to the CRTC to review and vary Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 that states incumbent telecom providers must introduce a “disaggregated wholesale broadband access service” (DBS) so that independent ISPs gain access to FTTH (fibre to the home) facilities.
In a nutshell, Bell believes the CRTC’s decision has unfairly changed the rules governing fibre-to-the-home broadband networks by mandating…
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TORONTO – Bell Media’s The Comedy Network is readying new series and epsiodes as it preps for a free preview from June 30 – August 4.
The new content includes the linear TV premiere of the CraveTV original hit Letterkenny and the new series Wrecked (pictured), a half-hour single camera comedy that follows a group of plane crash survivors trying to make a new life for themselves on a deserted island. It also includes a marathon of The Detour, the return of Angie Tribeca, and new episodes of Just For Laughs: All Access.
The Comedy Freeview is available on TV service…
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Urges all to be more transparent, too
TORONTO – The federal privacy commissioner urged telecommunications companies to stand up to police if they ask for subscriber data without a court order.
Daniel Therrien made the plea Wednesday in a keynote address to the annual Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto, complaining that police are trying to re-open the fight over lawful access to metadata and subscriber data he thought ended with the 2014 Supreme Court of Canada decision.
That ruling said police need a court order for subscriber information unless it is an emergency. But several law enforcement bodies, including RCMP commissioner Robert…
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