TORONTO – Bell and Telus could be the winners when the 700 MHz wireless spectrum hits the auction block, predicts one industry analyst.
Responding to Cartt.ca’s report that Industry Minister Clement may accelerate the 700 MHz mobile spectrum auction in Canada, Canaccord Genuity managing director and head of Canadian research, Dvai Ghose, told investors Monday that the two big telcos appear to have an advantage over Rogers because they share spectrum, while Rogers does not have a national spectrum sharing partner.
“We also believe that the 700 MHz auction poses a key risk to cash flow and dividend growth for…
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TORONTO – Bell Canada’s announcement this morning that it will spend $1.3 billion for all of CTV looks like a bid to protect and power a lot of its asset engines with a lot of superb oil and fuel.
The deal comes with $1.7 billion in debt, and factoring in Bell’s 15% ownership of CTVglobemedia, places a total value of $3.2 billion on CTV. The Globe and Mail newspaper has been carved out, as the Thomson family will take majority ownership of the paper.
If approved (and this doesn’t look to ring any Regulatory warning bells) the new company will…
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GATINEAU – Canada’s major cable companies and telcos are squaring off against MTS Allstream and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre over the CRTC’s authority to mandate broadband as an essential service.
Comments filed with the CRTC in late August show that Bell Canada, Telus and all of the large cablecos are, not surprisingly, opposed to any Commission intervention on this matter, while PIAC and MTS firmly believe that the CRTC can make broadband essential.
The issue has become a central theme in an ongoing proceeding on a broad variety of telecom matters, generally referred to as the obligation to…
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As the dust begins to settle after Tuesday’s deferral accounts decision, opinions from industry stakeholders run the gamut from “disappointing” to "harmful" to “reasonable”.
Barrett Xplore Inc., Canada’s largest provider of rural broadband services, described the decision as anti-competitive and an ineffective use of monies.
“We’re obviously disappointed that the CRTC chose to proceed as they did, using technology that is not the least-cost solution for rural Canada”, its chief legal officer, C.J. Prudham, told Cartt.ca. “We’re also disappointed that they did not take in to consideration the expansion by other companies, including us, into those areas. Essentially they’re…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canada’s largest telephone companies must rebate $310.8 million to their urban home telephone customers plus bring broadband Internet to 287 rural and remote communities across the country, the CRTC said Tuesday.
Widely referred to as the deferral accounts decision, the CRTC has ordered that the initiatives be funded using the deferral accounts of Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, Telus and MTS Allstream, which, as of May 31, 2010, held $770 million (including interest). Of this amount, $310.8 million will be rebated to customers, while $421.9 million will be spent on broadband services in communities across five provinces by 2014. The…
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REGINA – Telus has rolled out its new wireless network in what it describes as “tech hungry” Saskatchewan.
As part of the company’s investment in 3G+ wireless services this year, Telus entered into a enhanced network sharing agreement with SaskTel that builds on arrangements the companies have had in place since 1999. The network sharing agreement facilitates the deployment of next generation wireless voice and data services for Telus customers in Saskatchewan, optimizes cell-site utilization, and maximizes the potential for operating efficiencies.
"Telus is excited to bring its new blazing fast 3G+ network, the biggest in Saskatchewan, along with some of…
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OTTAWA – When it comes to licensing the 28GHz band, Canada’s wireless operators generally agree with Industry Canada’s proposed framework, documents submitted to the department via its call for comments reveal.
Telus, however, is concerned about the first-come, first-served approach advocated by the department in its consultation. Given the rapid growth of mobile networks and mobile data services, the need for longer-term backhaul network planning is paramount and a FCFS process may act as a barrier, the company states in its submission.
“Telus is of the view that the FCFS model needs to be ‘tweaked’ to allow…
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OTTAWA – The battle between Telus and MTS Allstream over mandated wireless roaming in Manitoba continues to brew.
After Telus complained to Industry Canada earlier this month about MTS Allstream’s alleged refusal to negotiate a deal on roaming rates in Manitoba, MTS Allstream replied by asking the government to disregard Telus’ application which it says misconstrues “certain facts and has outright omitted a number of others”.
In particular, MTS Allstream claims that Telus’ application misrepresents the rationale and eligibility criteria for out-of-territory roaming, in-territory roaming and the definition of a new entrant, so that it may obtain “an even…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s decision to deny an appeal from Telus to reconsider two earlier rulings could have an unexpected and wide ranging impact on the Canadian enterprise market, the telco warned.
The Commission said Tuesday that it was turning down Telus’ request to review and vary Telecom Decisions 2009-85 and 2010-11 because “it is incumbent upon a party making a review and vary application to raise all of the grounds in support of their application that are, or should be, apparent to the applicant at the time the application is made.”
The request is part of a…
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FINALLY, A CANADIAN, PUBLICLY traded wireline telco has made a real commitment to the future, despite what the country’s financial community thinks.
MTS Allstream has been absolutely crucified in the markets this month for daring to cut its quarterly dividend in order to try to properly prepare the company for what’s next by launching a $125 million fibre to the home overhaul. Good for Pierre Blouin and his team for deciding that if the company is to continue in the wired communications game and gain a real competitive advantage in its service areas, it had to make the fibre-to-the-home switch,…
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