VANCOUVER – Telus is hoping that their Optik TV customers in British Columbia and Alberta will want to watch television while on the move.
The company launched a free app that allows viewers to watch select programming from channels that they already subscribe to on their mobile devices, tablets and laptops. ‘Optik on the go’ debuted with content from Super Channel, Hollywood Suite, Family Channel, Disney XD, Disney Jr, and Baby TV in English, French and Mandarin.
Using the Cisco Videoscape platform, the app allows users to start, pause, rewind and fast forward their shows just like they do at home. Apple iPad, iPhone,…
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GATINEAU – Shaw Communications filed an appeal to the CRTC on Friday regarding last October’s policy decision to quash usage-based billing in favour of incumbents charging independent internet service providers either a flat rate, or a rate based on capacity and the number of users.
Under the new regulatory regime, ISPs can now sell smaller providers a set capacity per month, or a simple flat fee for a set level of speed – and was officially instituted February 1st. The new policy also means smaller ISPs will have to pay more to…
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IT HAS COME TO OUR attention that a headline of ours last week has caused some misunderstanding.
Last week, the office of Industry Minister Christian Paradis issued a press release noting he was taking part in a pre-budget round table discussions with leaders from the information and communications technologies sector in Toronto.
It was one of a series of planned round tables that also included a stop earlier this month in Montreal. At the meetings, the Minister said that he is seeking to engage private sector stakeholders on how best to ensure that…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada says there is nothing it can do to make content from the National Football League available to other mobile network providers in Canada, no matter what the CRTC wants.
Back in December, thanks to an original complaint by Telus, the Commission ruled that Bell Mobility gave itself a “significant competitive advantage” by entering into exclusive agreements for the mobile rights to popular National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL) content. It gave Bell until the end of January to say what it plans to do to make the content available to other mobile carriers….
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TORONTO – Wind Mobile has taken issue with the wireless spectrum auction caps proposal put forward by Telus, saying there is nothing fair about it. “Caps are no different than an open auction,” Simon Lockie, chief regulatory officer at Wind, told Cartt.ca in an interview.
The fact that Telus is advocating for caps should speak volumes to their true position, Lockie says. Since the Big Three (Rogers, Bell and Telus) don’t really compete with each other and stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in enterprise value (based on analysis from the investment banking community) as a result of…
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MONTREAL – Telus Health Solutions has launched a new health reference internet portal designed to help Canadians find the relevant information and tools to take better care of their health and the health of their loved ones.
Called myhealthreference.com, the new site promises current content, reviewed articles and specialized functions. It also includes access to:
– Web and mobile tools such as a symptom checker, self-assessment modules, healthy habits guides and smoking cessation programs;
– A search feature that "learns" from user trends and health news to deliver relevant, credible content to returning visitors;
– Reliable reference content and news from trusted Canadian sources…
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OTTAWA – Telus says that its proposal for an spectrum cap in the 700 MHz auction is the “fairest” way the federal government can meets its competition agenda and ensure that there are multiple winners outside of the three incumbent wireless players.
In an interview with Cartt.ca, Telus’ senior VP of regulatory and government affairs Michael Hennessy explains that the company has heard, loud and clear, the government’s message that it wants to continue with its competition agenda begun with the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) auction, maximize investment in Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks and ensure that rural Canadians enjoy…
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AS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, indeed as the whole media world, continues to change, Canadian cable companies and specialty channels are going to struggle to find growth, according to a report from BMO Capital Markets.
Telco IPTV services, such as Telus’ Optik and Bell’s Fibe along with the myriad online video options available to Canadians to view their favourite shows will keep pressure on Canadian cable companies and specialty channel owners. While about 62% of Canadian households subscribe to cable, as Telus and Bell’s IPTV options gain strength cable’s level of penetration will decline by a percent a year says the…
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CALGARY – Shaw Cable has added the HD versions of Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and TSN to its basic HD offering as part of some recent packaging changes.
The move comes amid cable subscriber losses at the Calgary-based company, many to its Western-based rival Telus’ Optik TV service.
"As a Canadian company, Shaw understands the importance of national and regional sports across our country and in the communities we serve," said president Peter Bissonnette, in the announcement. "We are excited to expand access to these popular sports channels to our cable customers through their availability in our basic High-Definition TV…
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REGINA – Members and supporters of the deaf community gathered in front of the CRTC building in Regina on Friday as part of nine rallies across the country in support bringing Video Relay Services (VRS) to Canada.
VRS makes it easier for deaf individuals to communicate using the telephone by allowing them to use sign language via video to an interpreter, who translates and speaks to the person on the other line. When the person on the other line responds, the interpreter uses sign language to communicate back to the deaf person.
According to a report, despite ordering Bell to test it VRS…
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