TORONTO – After spending $7 billion over two decades to build what’s become the largest wireless company in Canada, Rogers Communications CEO Ted Rogers said he is more than a little miffed at the lobbying tactics being deployed by one of his business partners.
After noting on a conference call with financial analysts on Tuesday afternoon that Rogers Wireless has had in its 20 years, "losses for 19 and profits for one," the company founder set out in no uncertain terms how he feels about lobbying spearheaded by Videotron to decrease the Quebec media company’s cost of entry to…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC today released new pricing rules that will govern the rates charged by large telephone companies for local telephone services, until forbearance arrives, that is.
The rules, known collectively as the price cap regime, will come into effect on June 1, 2007, and apply to Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel, MTS Allstream and Bell Aliant. It also lets the incumbent telcos increase their rates for payphone service to up to a dollar.
The new regime only applies in regions where local phone service has not been deregulated. So they will apply everywhere at first and quickly become…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – A day before it holds its AGM in Montreal, Telus today announced an investment of $23 million to expand and enhance its wireless digital network in Quebec in 2007.
By the fall of 2007, up to 30 additional communities will have access to enhanced features and wireless business solutions, said the company in a press release. "This includes a full suite of Telus Spark mobile entertainment, information and messaging services such as email, live TV, photo and video messaging, downloadable music, ring tones, games and more.
Over the coming months, Telus will extend its wireless digital network…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC today released new pricing rules that will govern the rates charged by large telephone companies for local telephone services, until forbearance arrives.
The rules, known collectively as the price cap regime, will come into effect on June 1, 2007, and apply to Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel, MTS Allstream and Bell Aliant.
They only apply in regions where local phone service has not been deregulated. So they will apply everywhere at first and quickly become less and less important as markets are forborne from regulation.
"This third-generation price cap regime provides greater pricing flexibility for large…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Bell Mobility and Research In Motion said that the new Blackberry 8830 World Edition will launch this summer and will be the first CDMA device to support international roaming on GSM/GPRS Networks.
CDMA (which is used by Telus and Bell) is a dominant technology here in North America while GSM (which Rogers deployed) is the primary delivery technology in the rest of the world.
The 8830 World Edition smartphone "is the first CDMA Blackberry smartphone to deliver the high-speed mobile connectivity of CDMA in Canada and North America, combined with international voice and data roaming on GSM/GPRS…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Canadian animation fans will soon have two additional outlets from which to get their favourite Teletoon content.
The channel is taking some of its most popular Canadian cartoons to viewers "where and when they want them," says the press release, with the launch of two new digital services, video on demand on April 27 and mobile TV on May 15.
Building upon the recent re-branding of the network, the expansion positions Teletoon as a driver in the move towards fully integrated digital content. "Teletoon now offers a more flexible and far reaching suite of services from traditional…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – If 2006 was the year of local forbearance and the fight over deregulating the wireline phone market, 2007 will be the year newcomers and incumbents wrestle over wireless.
In fact, the lobbying has already begun. Last week, as reported by Cartt.ca, Quebecor Media CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau told Ottawa’s Canadian Club that the cozy oligopoly of existing players keeps prices high, stifles innovation and ensures new wireless applications already available in other countries are slow to market in Canada.
On Monday at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, a large roomful of wireless regulatory lawyers, financial analysts,…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Telus has been awarded a $16.3-million multimedia contract by the Alberta government for the Calgary Courts Centre, which is scheduled to open this August.
The province’s newest courthouse will have state-of-the audio and video technology that will be used in prisoner transfers, the presentation of digital evidence, the linking of remote witnesses and the improvement of courtroom efficiency.
Telus will design, install and maintain more than 73 courtrooms with multimedia technology.
“We’re very pleased to be working with the government of Alberta to help realize their vision of introducing innovations in the justice system that continue to…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telus announced Monday it has applied for local phone service deregulation in Calgary, Victoria, and Rimouski. These applications follow similar filings for Vancouver and Edmonton last Wednesday. The company intends to file additional applications for deregulation in the near future.
Telus’ application to the CRTC follows the April 4 announcement by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier that telecommunications companies can apply for relaxation of local phone service regulations in communities where significant competition exists.
“Local service deregulation in Calgary, Victoria and Rimouski will bring the full benefits of competition to these cities,” said Janet Yale, Telus executive vice-president…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Bell Canada has applied to the CRTC to deregulate the most populous regions inside its Ontario and Quebec territories.
The company has asked for forbearance from regulation of local telephone services in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Hamilton and Quebec City.
Bell filed separate forbearance applications for residential services in 139 exchanges and for business services in 103 exchanges in the six cities. These applications are the first made by Bell under the new framework for forbearance announced by the federal government on April 4, 2007.
Additional applications for forbearance in other qualifying areas will follow shortly.
The…
Continue Reading
