TORONTO – New Canadians are avid users of mobile phones and alternative long distance calling options — and spend more on wireless and home phone combined, according to a new study by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based market research firm.
Among the key findings of the wireless and telecom module of the Diversity in Canada study are:
• Major ethnic groups in Canada are somewhat more likely to have cellular phones (61% have one, vs. 59% average among 15+ population in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver). Highest penetration is among Chinese Canadians (74%).
• Rogers is the leading wireless company…
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TORONTO – By the end of 2006 Canadian cable companies will have 12% (1.57 million) of residential telephone subscribers in Canada and 27% by year-end 2009 (3.35 million), says a new report released today.
This is up from 6% at the end of ’05 (835,000), says the latest installment of The Convergence Consulting Group’s "Battle for the North American Couch Potato: Bundling, Internet, TV, Telephone."
While the inroads traditional cable companies are making in voice are strong, the report doesn’t have a similar forecast when it comes to the traditional ILEC’s push into video. Telcos will have 2% (220,000)…
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By Greg O’Brien
I REMEMBER WHEN THEN-CRTC broadcasting vice-chair Andrée Wylie told the 1999 CCTA convention in Vancouver that the Commission had no intention of trying to regulate the Internet.
Because of it’s very nature, it’s impossible to regulate the Internet itself (unless you’re China or some other repressive government that deploys some painful cyber-clamps and doesn’t mind tossing people in jail for reading the New York Times or somesuch online), which the CRTC recognized early on. Plus, 1999 was pre tech-bubble and the opportunities of the ‘net seemed endless. Why toss up regulations in front of such potential?
That Commission…
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TORONTO – If Canadians want their MTV, they’ll be getting it in spades starting this evening.
CTV is bringing the long-entrenched American brand back to the Great White North on six platforms, delivering MTV content “with a distinctly Canadian attitude.”
Calling it “the single-biggest multi-platform launch in the history of Canadian television,” CTV will flip on the MTV switch at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday in six ways.
First, it will change the talktv analog specialty service into MTV, featuring lifestyle, talk, and documentary programming, along with “distinct and interactive Canadian series.” It’s subscribed to by some 6 million Canadian…
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TORONTO – As previously reported, Toronto Hydro Telecom today announced plans to provide Wi-Fi coverage in the downtown core.
"We are proud to be the first company in Canada to deliver a ubiquitous Wi-Fi zone, which will provide Internet access as well as next generation applications," said David Dobbin, president, Toronto Hydro Telecom, in a press release.
"Wi Fi technology is the new benchmark for urban living. It’s standard equipment in many electronic devices, from laptops to portable entertainment units. We think it’s time to enable that technology to be used in what will be the largest Wi Fi…
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QUEBEC – Both Telus and Bell Canada announced Thursday the launch of their new high speed wireless networks in the provincial capital today.
With typical download speeds of 400 to 700 kilobits per second, and maximum speeds of more than 2 megabits per second, Telus and Bell’s separate EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized) networks make it easier for wireless customers there to communicate whatever data they wish (e-mails, video, text, etc).
www.bell.ca www.telus.com
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I HOPE I HAVEN’T BEEN helping put Dave Armstrong out of business.
Dave is the owner-operator of Markdale Cable, a 1,200-customer operation serving the folks in and around Markdale, Ont. – a ski-country/farming community (and home of Chapman’s Ice Cream) about 40 kms southeast of Owen Sound, Ont.
I’ve been a skier since I could walk and my family and I are part-time customers of Markdale Cable (weekends and holidays during the winter). I needed high speed Internet at the place we rented for the season and Markdale Cable delivered. Dave even showed up on New Year’s Day to…
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HALIFAX – Aliant today launched its high-speed wireless service in Halifax. The new service will provide Aliant’s wireless customers access to wireless data speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps – and new and enhanced applications on their wireless devices.
Customers in the Halifax area will be the first to experience new wireless data speeds – five times faster than what is currently available. Customers will be able to access information on their wireless device – notebook computer, PDA, or cell phone – "at speeds close to those of their home broadband connection," claims the release.
Streaming video and TV…
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OTTAWA – Once upon a time, the boys and girls in the content production and delivery business gathered for many huddles. They were figuring out how to pass film and video content to the receiver, the Internet, and score a business model for web content. The play action took the form of rights management issues, and the strategy was nearly intercepted by haggling over the ownership and dollar value of rights.
Today, as the Internet joins video MP3 players, cellphones, games and podcasting among the receivers of digital content, the players are huddling once again and again, the quarterbacks…
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WHEN PEOPLE FIND OUT I AM the president of Babytel, an independent provider of high-speed Internet phone service, the first question I get is about our name, (most love it), followed closely by “how in the world can you compete against the big guys?”
How we compete is quite simple: we are finding unique opportunities, such as being the VOIP backbone for partners like independent cable companies and ISPs, and we are selling to niche markets like Asian and African communities in Canada.
(I will refer the genesis of our name to later.)
There is incredible opportunity. VOIP opens…
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