OTTAWA – Despite an auspicious beginning, the Advanced Wireless Spectrum auction that began this week still has the ingredients for “both a robust auction process and a more competitive marketplace thereafter,” predicts the SeaBoard Group in a white paper released Wednesday.
The SeaBoard Group contends that Canadians have not lost the promise of more choice in cell phone providers and of lower cost services because of the seeming bidder disarray. It points out that 24 of 29 new-entrant bidders remain in the race.
The research firm predicts that Videotron and MTS Allstream, now bidding on its own, will bid…
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AS THE ADVANCED wireless spectrum auction gets under way today, there are a couple of things that are clear.
First, Canadian consumers will see several new wireless operators (one or two national, some more regional) inside of 18 months after the auction’s end in three to five weeks, driving down retail prices and increasing competition for their business.
Second, thanks to the new rules favoring any newcomers to Canadian wireless that demand mandated roaming on the existing incumbents’ networks, Rogers Communications is going to take on most of that burden. It will tax the company’s system somewhat,…
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TORONTO – The charity event "Together for China – Earthquake Relief Telethon" brought to Chinese Canadians nationally on Friday by TV channels Fairchild and Talentvision, raised a phenomenal $2,286,300 across Canada.
The event was a national earthquake relief effort by Fairchild Television in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross featuring renowned performing artistes from Asia, Eric Tsang, Jackie Cheung, Alan Tam, Aaron Kwok, Hacken Lee and more popular singers from Hong Kong and representatives from Canadian organizations appealing and presenting pledges to help the earthquake victims.
The program was simulcast on Shaw TV Cable 4 and Shaw Multicultural Channel,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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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…
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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’?)…
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