OTTAWA – David Golden (Canada’s first satellite CEO), Carol Stephenson (Master of Telecom Mediation and Advocacy), David S. Simmonds and sons (two generations of radio leaders), Jim Balsillie, and Mike Lazaridis will be inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame this year, it was announced Friday.
Golden will be inducted in the Servants of the Public category, Stephenson in the Advocates and Academics category, Simmonds and sons, and Balsillie in the Icons of Business category, and Lazaridis in the Inventors and Innovators category.
They will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2008 Telecom Laureate Awards gala…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Fairchild Television, Talentvision and the Canadian Red Cross are joining forces with local Chinese communities in a cross-Canada earthquake relief effort “Together for China” telethon that will feature Asian artists such as EricTsang, Jackie Cheung, Alan Tam, Aaron Kwok and Hacken Lee.
The initiative will take place on May 23 at 8 p.m.
A special fund-raising program will be aired 8:30 p.m. PST the same day on Talentvision that will highlight the rescue efforts.
Cable carriers such as Rogers, Shaw, Bell ExpressVu, Cogeco and Telus are assisting by unscrambling the signal and making Fairchild TV and Talentvision…
Continue Reading
KELOWNA – The primary need when disaster happens anywhere is communication. Help can’t be co-ordinated or properly delivered if people can’t talk to each other.
And if the phone lines are down and police radios out of commission, aid workers will certainly struggle.
It was this primary challenge Telus had in mind when it built two SatCOLT units (Cost: $1.3 million each). SatCOLT stands for Satellite Cellsite on Light Truck and was pioneered Stateside by Sprint and is essentially a fully mobile telephone system.
“It’s a mobile cell site on wheels,” says Ken Green, the man in charge of…
Continue Reading
“IN A DIGITAL CONTENT world, all stakeholders must accept greater risk,” is a single line from the final reply to the CRTC by Telus to the Commission’s policy review of broadcast distribution undertakings and specialty services.
Final replies from stakeholders were due into the Commission last Thursday.
It’s a key line, because it lies at the heart of what’s at stake for every media company in Canada – heck, in the western world, really, and certainly for Canadian specialty channels, OTA broadcasters and BDUs. With the digital media world comes new opportunities, but also more risk than the tried…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – As at many traditional telcos, growth on the wireless side at Telus is offsetting the losses they are all experiencing in their conventional wireline business.
The company today reported first quarter revenue of $2.35 billion, a 6.6% increase from a year ago. That performance was generated by 10% growth in wireless revenue and 19% growth in wireline data revenue during the three months ended March 31st, as compared to Q1 ’07.
Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased 24% to $950 million, largely due to the $173.5 million net-cash settlement feature expense recorded in…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – It’s hoped that today’s quarterly financial report is the final one Bell Canada Enterprises has to make public, as the giant telco has almost finished the work to become a private company.
But since that’s not done yet, the company released decent results for the first quarter of 2008, ended March 31st.
"During the quarter, we made good progress on the completion of the privatization transaction and delivered solid financial results, consistent with our plan for the year," said Michael Sabia, CEO. "With respect to the privatization transaction, the Québec Superior Court approved the plan of arrangement…
Continue Reading
IN A WIRELESS MARKET crowded with canines (Fido), assorted other creatures (the bugs, birds and lizards of Telus; Bell’s beavers) and the big red machine (Rogers), Koodo’s multicolored leg warmers and goofy re-creation of “The 20-Minute Workout” stand out.
Deliberately positioned as a low-cost, no-frills wireless brand, Koodo invites customers to trim fat like excess applications, features and contracts, from their wireless service plans – and therefore their monthly bills.
Launched just over a month ago, Koodo has been hard to ignore with its kooky name and weirdly funny ad campaign (seriously, where’s Olivia Newton-John and ‘Let’s get Physical’?)…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – With Rogers Communications saying this week it will release Apple’s iPhone into the Canadian market this year some time, just who will those buyers be?
According to research firm Solutions Research Group and its Fast Forward report, the buyers will be richer than average men.
SRG says 61% of the buyers will be male – with an average age of 29 and that 54% of them will live in Ontario. As well, look for some existing cell contracts to be torn up as over 30% of the iPhone’s buyers are said to be existing Bell and Telus…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Telus has been ordered by the CRTC to provide rebates to customers who paid a $2.95 per month access fee but didn’t make any long-distance calls during the month. Telus however is not required to rebate customers who made long-distance telephone calls during the same month.
Local service rates are regulated by the CRTC and have to be either pre-approved by the commission or, in larger areas where it has stopped regulating rates are subject to a price ceiling. Long distance service, however, is not regulated. Telus had contended it did not need pre-approval or to abide by…
Continue Reading
Dear Editor,
IN YOUR NEWS REPORT today you suggested Telus supported some form of fee for carriage in Quebec.
To be clear, we are categorically opposed to FFC under any circumstance and in any jurisdiction. We obviously agreed with vice-chair Arpin that the CRTC can develop different rules in Quebec to reflect regional differences, that is something which is provided for in the Broadcasting Act, but we still oppose FFC as a solution, regardless of any regional differences.
We recognize TQS is in serious difficulty. But FFC won’t fix its difficulties. The roots of its problems are deeper. As…
Continue Reading
