TORONTO – Telus has rolled out an early device upgrade program which it says will make the cell phone ownership experience even simpler.
The ‘Clear and Simple Device Upgrade’ program creates a transparent linkage between the real price of new wireless devices and the discount customers receive when they select an optional one, two or three year term with Telus. Customers wishing to upgrade to a new device before the end of their term will pay an Early Device Upgrade Fee (EDUF) equivalent to the unrecovered portion of the original handset discount, and can then sign up for a new term with…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Should there be spectrum caps for incumbents? Set asides for smaller companies? If so, what should they be? Should we align our bandwidth plan with the United States? Should we hold the 2500 MHz auction at the same time as the 700 MHz spectrum auction? How much spectrum should be set aside for public safety agencies? Does there need to be government intervention in rural regions? How will any new foreign investment rules affect the auction?
These are just some of the questions Industry Canada has asked the Canadian wireless industry in the paper it released late Tuesday:…
Continue Reading
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
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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,…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
