BELLEVUE, WA – Canada’s ‘Big Three’ wireless providers all offer strong performance, fast data speeds, and outstanding coverage in the country’s three biggest markets, according to tests done by an independent mobile analytics firm.
U.S.-based RootMetrics released its first set of reports on Canada's mobile experience on Tuesday, which share results from testing done last August in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto on the performance of Bell, Rogers and Telus.
According to 47,495 data, call and text tests designed to replicate real-world consumer behavior, Bell, Rogers and Telus showed strong and similar performances in each market.
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GATINEAU – Corus Entertainment was on the hot seat today, defending its proposed $400 million purchase of specialty services Teletoon, Historia and Series+ in front of the CRTC. The company is buying the assets from Bell Media as part of the latter’s requirement to divest assets resulting from its purchase of Astral.
“We are here today to convince you that we are not only the best possible home for these assets but that our acquisition of these services is in the public interest. Allowing Corus to continue to grow will translate into more spending on Canadian programming and healthy competition…
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TORONTO – Al Jazeera English launched on SaskTel this week, making it available to over 97,000 SaskTel maxTV subscribers through channel 58.
The international news channel, which launched in Canada in 2010, is now available through Telus, Bell TV, Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw Cable, Videotron, MTS Allstream and CCSA member cable systems. Al Jazeera already reaches more than 250 million homes in over 130 countries around the world.
“Subscribers to SaskTel maxTV service now have access to Al Jazeera English’s comprehensive offering of news, documentaries and programmes from over seventy bureaus worldwide,” said Kimeran Daley, head…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC cleared up confusion around how the new Wireless Code applies to wireless services with tab billing models (tab contracts) in response to queries from Rogers and Telus.
Under a tab contract, the customer obtains a device at a reduced upfront cost and the amount of the device subsidy goes onto the customer’s “tab.” Thereafter, a percentage of the customer’s monthly bill is used to “pay down” their tab.
In its response, the Commission also provided clarification on how the maximum early cancellation fee may be calculated for tab contracts, and what…
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CALGARY – Alberta Flood Aid’s concert held last August at McMahon Stadium in Calgary raised nearly $2.2 million for flood recovery after the devastating southern Alberta floods of June 2013.
Hosted by Brent Butt, the evening featured Canadian artists including Nickelback, Jann Arden, Randy Bachman, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Colin James, Loverboy, Corb Lund, Johnny Reid, The Sadies, The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson who donated their time and services to contribute to the effort. Telus funded the live, online broadcast of the concert for viewers across Canada free of charge.
"We couldn't have hoped for a more perfect evening or a…
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TORONTO – Don’t miss Telecom 2013, the annual telecom showcase and forum for telecom, IT, and contact centre managers.
Scheduled for October 29 – 30 at the Old Mill Toronto, the event offers a unique chance to meet and exchange with key industry suppliers and independent experts. The event is organized by Neotelis and industry partners include Bell, Avaya, HP, Microsoft, Cisco, Genesys, Rogers, Telus, and many others.
For registration and more information, click here
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INDUSTRY MINISTER JAMES MOORE likely caused a number of folks in the Canadian subscription TV business to choke on their turkey this Thanksgiving weekend.
In a few media interviews, Moore dropped a preview bomb of this Wednesday’s Throne Speech by saying the federal Conservative government will make it its business to micromanage sectors of the economy, beginning with dismantling the TV channel packaging practices of Canadian broadcasters and broadcast distribution undertakings. “We don’t think it’s right for Canadians to have to pay for bundled television channels that they don’t watch,” he told CTV’s Question Period in an interview broadcast Sunday…
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OTTAWA – There is no working market for domestic wholesale roaming in Canada, which has led to sky-high rates that injure competition, says Halifax-based cable and wireless company Eastlink. Conversely, Bell Mobility argues new entrants have the choice of three providers, all of which are girding for roaming business.
In comments to the CRTC’s investigation into domestic and international roaming, Eastlink says the incumbents’ wholesale domestic roaming rates are much higher than their retail rates and thus “are inherently commercially unreasonable.” It adds these rates “are a significant obstacle to new entrants’ ability to compete over…
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OTTAWA – C’mon kids, grab those old mobile devices: the Recycle My Cell student challenge is back for a fourth year.
As the national sponsor of Waste Reduction Week in Canada (October 21-27), Recycle My Cell is challenging all Canadian schools and post-secondary institutions to recycle as many old wireless devices as possible, including cell phones, smartphones, wireless PDAs, pagers, accessories and cell phone batteries.
The school in each province and territory that collects the most cell phones (based on school population) will be awarded $500 to be used towards a school environmental project. Last year, more than…
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WHILE THE CANADIAN WIRELESS world and the politicians who oversee it spent the dog days of summer 2013 barking at each other over policies they said were either wrecking the business or boosting competition (depending on your point of view) one player, Halifax-based Eastlink, remained largely silent.
While Eastlink is a big deal in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island especially, and does daily battle down East with Bell Aliant, CEO, Lee Bragg told Cartt.ca in a recent interview that adding his own voice to that cacophony would have accomplished little. And besides, even though he can’t side with government…
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