OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied a request from Bell and Telus to replace the basic international telecommunications services (BITS) licensing regime with a registration system. Instead, the commission has decided to leave the current licensing regime as is, ruling it allows for more effective enforcement than a registration system.
In its year-long review of the BITS licensing regime the commission received submissions from Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Bell Canada, Saskatchewan Telecommunications, Télébec, MTS Allstream Inc., Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Communications.
The BITS licensing regime for telecommunications services providers (TSPs) was put in place a…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada will use the Beijing Olympics to launch its new national brand tomorrow, aligning all of its products and services under the Bell name.
"The new Bell brand underlines that we are moving forward as a company and as a service provider, with new services, a new strategy and a new goal," said George Cope, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, in a press release this morning. "It’s a straightforward and customer-focused brand that directly supports the Bell team’s goal: To be recognized by customers as Canada’s leading communications company."
The new Bell logo…
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IT’S NOT USUAL FOR a reporter to ignore a story on his beat, but it’s happening right now for me.
The issue is text message fees and the decision by Bell Canada and Telus to begin charging customers who aren’t on any sort of texting or data plan 15-cents for each of their incoming text messages.
I’ve been lax in my coverage of this story because I find the stupidity at all levels of this issue is breathtaking. Maddening. Press, consumers, government and the companies themselves; there is more than enough foolishness to go around.
When the story first…
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THIS WAS THE FIRST North American version of the IPTV World conference which is put on in a number of places around the globe throughout the year by London-based Informa Telecoms and Media.
A bit surprising since North America will be leading IPTV development for the foreseeable future. Prior shows have taken place all around the globe.
“IPTV is no longer just a theoretical solution of what telcos might do in the future, but a real see it now reality,” said Ian Tapp, SVP business development for Tandberg Television, who gave the opening keynote speech on Tuesday morning.
There…
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OTTAWA – Canadian telecom’s movers and shakers will be celebrated at the 2008 Telecom Laureate Awards gala dinner and induction ceremonies, October 29, 2008 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa/Gatineau.
This year, Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame will induct contemporary entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders into the Hall of Fame, including: * Jim Balsillie (RIM) * Mike Lazaridis (RIM) * Carol Stephenson (Richard Ivey School of Business) * David Golden (Telesat Canada) * The late David Simmonds and his sons, Robert Simmonds, Gordon Simmonds and Donald Simmonds (Lenbrook Communications)
This year’s recipient of the Hall of Fames Special…
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OTTAWA – Finally, after nearly two months of bidding, involving 331 rounds, Canada’s auction of wireless spectrum ended today, but is merely the first wave of change that will transform the nation’s telecommunications industry.
Canadian companies bid a total of $4.25 billion for 282 wireless-airwave licenses, the proceeds are more than twice the amount analysts had expected. The 15 successful bidders of the auction that began May 27 are eligible to receive licenses after making their final payments and showing compliance with Canadian ownership and control requirements.
Rogers Communications, Canada’s largest wireless carrier, bid $999.4 million for 59 licenses, reports…
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CHICAGO – With IPTV on course to become a credible Pay TV platform in North America, even though nobody expects AT&T or Verizon to crush the cable or satellite industry with their broadcast TV and VOD offers, IPTV is achieving good penetration in markets where it has deployed, says the organizers of the IPTV North America conference, to be held in Chicago July 22 and 23.
(Cartt.ca, as a media partner, will be providing coverage from the Windy City next week.)
In January, Verizon was claiming 21% video penetration for Keller, Texas, just four months after the service was…
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OTTAWA – A review of broadcasting in new media is utterly unnecessary, says an unprecedented joint submission to the CRTC by Canada’s largest Internet service providers.
Friday was the deadline for submissions on PN 2008-44, which only asked for comments on what the scope of any future proceeding on Canadian broadcasting in new media might be. The Commission wants advice on what questions it might ask when it decides to undertake a review of what new media is doing to broadcasting and what Canadian regulations might have to say about it. At this point, it doesn’t want to…
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MONTREAL – George Cope was officially made president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada and appointed to the boards of both organizations, the company announced today.
Cope will be the first CEO under the company’s new owners, an investor group led by Teachers’ Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners Inc., Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity. The transaction will close on or before December 11, 2008.
The new CEO joined Bell in 2005 as president and COO, after quitting as president and CEO of Telus…
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OTTAWA – Claiming he has a duty to protect the public from new texting fees (!), Industry Minister Jim Prentice has called the CEOs of Bell and Telus to his office to explain an impending wireless pricing change which both companies recently announced.
Beginning in August, both telcos intend to begin charging 15 cents per incoming wireless text message received by customers who are not a part of a data plan and who choose to pay as they go. Rogers, Canada’s largest wireless company, charges no such fee and has not announced plans to do so.
(Ed query: Is…
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