ON THURSDAY, A PANEL of seven CRTC commissioners and a dozen industry executives took part in a hearing where they all must have asked themselves repeatedly, “Geez, how often have I heard this before?” At least, that’s the question that popped into my head as I listened in.
Bell Media faced off against the Canadian Independent Distributors Group during an expedited hearing concerning the parties’ fight over Bell Media’s 2011 wholesale carriage agreement, as we have already covered extensively. The CIDG (Telus, Cogeco, EastLink, Canadian Cable Systems Alliance and MTS) say the dispute isn’t primarily about…
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TORONTO – What would radio be without good, lively banter among radio personalities? And that’s exactly what attendees at the Radio Interactive conference on Thursday were treated to during a panel discussion called “Social Radio” that included execs from both terrestrial and pure-play digital radio companies. Radio Interactive was held as part of Slacker Canadian Music Week 2012 in Toronto last week.
A friendly but competitive vibe among the panellists could be felt early in the session, especially between Dave Farough, vice-president of brand, programming and new media for Corus Radio, and Rob Farina, executive vice-president of content for Astral…
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VANCOUVER – Non-Canadians are purchasing so many common shares of Telus that the company is in danger of violating Canada’s foreign ownership restrictions.
The telco issued a notice Thursday reminding non-Canadian investors of its reservation procedures while warning that that its transfer agent may not be able to approve all pending or new applications. Non-Canadians wanting to buy Telus’ common shares must reserve the right to obtain transfers by contacting the company’s transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company of Canada, and obtaining a reservation number after completing a reservation application.
Telus said that the catalyst for this announcement is “significant buying interest” by…
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TORONTO – Telus has become the latest wireless provider to offer its customers a credit towards a new device for trading in their old handset.
The trade-in program, which seems certain to boost retention, lets new and existing customers present their device at a Telus store for a credit if the phone is recent enough that it can be refurbished or, if not, the company will make a $3 donation to Tree Canada in their name.
Customers can trade in up to three phones, mobile Internet keys or mobile Wi-Fi devices (with a maximum combined value of up to $200). Credits will then be…
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TORONTO – Canadian entrepreneurs are being invited to share their business challenges for a chance to win a $100,000 grant as part of a contest launched Monday by Telus and The Globe and Mail.
Called 'The Challenge', the contest invites small business owners to describe the following in an 800-word submission:
– a challenge their business is currently experiencing (200 words);
– a proposed solution to this challenge and how the $100,000 prize would help overcome that challenge (200 words);
– an explanation of the results they expect to achieve (200 words); and
– a description of how their business incorporates the following values…
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MONTREAL – In its third major content acquisition in a little over 18 months, BCE Inc. (Bell) announced today the purchase of Astral Media Inc. and all its assets for $3.38 billion. If approved, the deal would dramatically boost Bell’s French language TV viewership in Quebec from 6% to 32%, placing it within striking distance of Quebecor, which reaches about 35% of viewers. But at least one market analyst has questioned the value of the deal and believes Bell should have invested the money in its broadband network.
"Bell is gaining a well-seasoned national Astral management team, dramatically expanding our…
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OTTAWA – Reaction was predictably mixed when Industry Canada Minister Christian Paradis released the 700 MHz spectrum auction policy Wednesday, with some saying that it struck the right balance, while others describing the rules as devastating to new entrants.
Mobilicity, which had asked for the entire 700 MHz band to be set aside for new entrants, still saw the decision as a positive step for competition and support for the upstart wireless companies.
“I think Industry Canada had a tough decision to make and it tried to make all sides happy to some extent. So I thought it was a reasonable compromise,…
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TORONTO – The newly announced rules for the pending 700 MHz wireless spectrum auction and on foreign ownership could damage the credit ratings of the country’s three wireless incumbents, according to Moody's Investors Service.
The ratings agency said Thursday that the government’s new rules are credit-negative for Baa1-rated Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus Corp.
Conversely, those rules are credit-positive for Canada’s five regional service providers and the three wireless-only new entrants.
www.moodys.com
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TORONTO – Telus has debuted a series of managed mobility services (MMS) designed specifically for the complex needs of Canadian enterprises.
Powered by Vox Mobile, the services help to manage various aspects of an enterprise's mobile infrastructure and devices from procurement to payment, all while managing wireless devices on multiple platforms, from multiple carriers.
"Mobile device management software has now made it possible to sync new mobile devices across multiple platforms, but there's so much more to consider than just synchronizing email," said Tony Krueck, VP of business products and services, in the announcement. "With the flood of new smart phones,…
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TORONTO – Despite how the rules to be applied to the auction of 700 MHz wireless spectrum have yet to be announced, one telecom industry analyst believes (taking all variables into account) the federal government can expect to earn about $3.5 billion when that auction finally does take place.
In a note to clients last week, Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan took into account potential changes to foreign investment rules, the possibility of a cap on the amount of spectrum to be purchased by any one company and the potential for certain blocks of spectrum Continue Reading
