OTTAWA – The CRTC has sided with Bell Canada in a dispute with Telus over 911 network access charges in the province of British Columbia.
In a decision on Friday, the Commission directed Telus to credit Bell Canada for overbilled 911 charges in the province from March 2003 to February 2009, in accordance with Telus’ terms of service.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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TORONTO – Telus employees across Canada are helping the company to trial a new initiative that aims to help Canadians manage their personal healthcare records electronically.
Powered by Microsoft HealthVault, Telus health space is a high-security data storage and sharing service where individual Canadians will be able to keep all their personal healthcare information – such as lab results and prescription information – in an on-line database for access over any Internet connection.
"Telus has invested more than $800 million dollars the last three years in healthcare technology and our team members are working tirelessly to drive healthcare transformation," said president and CEO,…
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TORONTO – A 13.5% increase in self-paying subscribers contributed to XM Canada’s “sound” financial performance for fiscal 2010.
Self-paying subscribers totaled 432,200 as of August 31, 2010, up from 380,900 in the same period last year.
Average monthly subscription revenue per subscriber (ARPU) was $11.28 and $11.74 for the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2009, respectively, and $11.21 and $11.88 for fiscal 2010 and 2009, respectively. The company said that ARPU declined in the fourth quarter of 2010 and in fiscal 2010 due primarily to an increase in automotive self-paying subscribers which have a lower ARPU, an increase in subscribers committing…
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OTTAWA – Calling the wireless contracts from Rogers, Bell and Telus “anti-consumer”, Mobilicity has launched a national push for new laws that would make some of the contract terms offered by wireless carriers illegal.
Such a law already limiting wireless contracts exists in Quebec (although it’s really a larger consumer protection law that doesn’t target cell phones) and a private members’ bill on the same topic is now before the Ontario legislature.
In letters to Industry Minister Tony Clement as well as to the B.C., Alberta and Ontario provincial governments – the other provinces where Mobilicity has spectrum (consumer…
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OTTAWA – The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage begins its study of “the impacts of private television ownership changes and the move towards new viewing platforms,” today in Ottawa and will hear first from CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein and a group of independent Canadian broadcasters this afternoon.
Watch for the CRTC chairman (who will be joined by acting vice-chair, broadcasting, Rita Cugini and executive director, broadcasting, Scott Hutton) to speak to the recent merger announcements as well as the proceeding just called into the very same topic about which MPs will be grilling the Regulator’s representatives this afternoon.
As for…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) has named Jay Thomson as its new VP of broadcasting policy and regulatory affairs, and Katie Jeffs as its director of member development and outreach.
As a former senior executive with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Telus Communications and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, Thomson has extensive experience in regulatory law and policy, association management and special expertise in Internet, broadcasting and copyright issues. He replaces Mario Mota who left the organization last week.
Jeffs has more than 11 years of experience in domestic and international broadcasting and production, most recently as…
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TORONTO – Bell Canada CEO George Cope couldn’t have been more blunt or matter of fact when asked about what the auction of 700 MHz wireless spectrum, which is expected in 2012. “It has to be a wide open auction,” he said. “There can be no discussion on this.”
Cope was speaking Tuesday afternoon at the Scotia Capital 2010 Telecom and Technology conference in downtown Toronto.
Cope spoke just after both Globalive (Wind Mobile) chairman Anthony Lacavera and Public Mobile CFO Jim Hardy had addressed the very same issue – albeit with different opinions than Cope, or earlier in the…
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TORONTO – Canadian companies and government entities experienced a 29% increase in security breaches from 2009 to 2010, according to an annual study.
The 2010 Telus/Rotman joint study on Canadian IT security practices found that government agencies are experiencing twice the number of breaches than companies in the private sector, with an almost 74% increase in one year. The increase can be explained by a significant investment in detection and response capabilities, which enable greater visibility into breaches and lower associated costs, the study said. It also noted a growing trend toward sophisticated attacks focused on customer and citizen data that…
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VANCOUVER – Strong results in its wireless business, combined with a record in TV additions figured prominently in Telus’ third quarter results.
Total net wireless subscriber additions of 153,000, including 132,000 postpaid, increased by 22% over the same period a year ago. Smart phones represented 38% of postpaid gross additions in the third quarter of 2010, as compared to 22% in same period last year. Higher valued smart phone subscribers now represent 28% of total postpaid subscribers compared to 18% a year ago.
Telus TV net additions were 38,000 for the quarter ended September 30th, an increase of 73% over the same period…
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REGINA – SaskTel is voicing its firm objection to a proposed 50% increase in local telephone rates in rural Canada, at least without an opportunity for residents in those areas to weigh in.
The Regina-based telco said in a statement that rate proposals made last week by Shaw, Rogers, Telus and Bell during the CRTC’s local telephone service hearing failed to address “the sharp inequalities in employment and incomes across the country”. SaskTel also suggested that the majority of “rural and northern residents do not understand the magnitude of the impact this public hearing could have on them”.
“We believe that these…
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