Telco focusing on content and mobility bundle
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell said Tuesday it will use the CRTC’s wholesale internet framework to launch fibre-based internet services in British Columbia and Alberta, reciprocating what its telco rival Telus is doing in eastern Canada.
The telco confirmed to Cartt that the launch of the services in western Canada “is a result of the CRTC’s recent decision,” which it does not agree with because of what it says is the policy’s negative impact on network investment. The regulator mandates that competitors have access to the bundled fibre infrastructure of Bell and Telus nationwide.
“Our position on…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Several major telecoms have filed a review and vary application asking the CRTC to adjust its new outage reporting requirements and extend the deadline to implement them because they are currently “impractical or disproportionate” and impose “undue administrative burden” on their businesses.
The CRTC in September gave all telecoms two months to implement the new rules, which require them to report to certain official bodies major outages – newly defined as lasting at least 30 minutes and affecting 600,000 or more user minutes in most cases. Compared to the interim regime from 2023, the new…
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Telus in late September filed a trademark application with the federal government’s Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) for “First Frame,” which is currently the name of a video podcast under Telus’s Storyhive banner that is designed to train and support emerging video content creators.
The First Frame podcast is hosted by Cameron Zinger, director of Telus Local Content and executive in charge of production, and Jennifer Park, manager of Telus Storyhive and community content. The podcast currently consists of 10 episodes offering advice on “building your content creation career.”
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal will hear arguments made by Cogeco and Eastlink that allege the CRTC made several errors when it rejected their request to relook at its decision to allow the three largest telecoms wholesale access to their cable networks.
The July leave application, granted last month, charges that the regulator made three errors of law when it refused to review and vary the August 2024 policy that they say will cripple their businesses.
The applicants argue in a notice of appeal filing, dated September 29, that the CRTC misinterpreted section 2(e) of the…
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Stingray announced Thursday that it has launched seven new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels on TELUS TV+ and Stream+.
The new channels are Qello Concerts by Stingray, which featured concert films and documentaries featuring a wide array of beloved artists; Stingray DJAZZ, which features concerts, films and documentaries from top venues and festivals; ZenLIFE by Stingray, which provides wellness content; Stingray Holidayscapes, CozyCafe, and Stargaze, which bring holiday, relaxing and dreamy environments to the home; and Movie Music by Stingray, which serves “epic film scores.”
“This launch allows us to deliver our premium curated content to a wider audience, offering…
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Sale of infrastructure also not out of the cards
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell’s chief financial officer said Thursday that leasing internet from Telus in western Canada is not out of the cards, but that owning the infrastructure is preferred for cash flow.
“It’s an opportunity for sure,” Curtis Millen said during a conference hosted by CIBC when asked about using Telus’s network in areas Bell doesn’t operate in. “We’ve had plenty of time to think about this.”
Bell, unlike Telus, is opposed to the CRTC policy of allowing the three largest telecoms to use the wholesale internet regime because the…
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Telus on Wednesday announced the opening of its Sovereign AI Factory in Rimouski, Quebec.
Now operational and serving customers, the secure facility is powered by NVIDIA graphic processing units (GPUs), computing infrastructure designed by HPE, Telus’s PureFibre network and 99-per-cent renewable energy, according to a Telus press release.
“Today marks a defining milestone for Canada’s digital future,” Darren Entwistle, Telus president and CEO, said in a statement. “Indeed, with the launch of our nation’s first fully Sovereign AI Factory in Rimouski, we are maximizing Canadian autonomy over sensitive data. Businesses,…
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Telus announced last week Telus PureFibre services will soon be available to 95 per cent of the homes and businesses in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, thanks to a $40-million investment by F3 Networks, a Calgary-based dark fibre solutions provider.
F3 Networks will own the fibre-to-the-premise network infrastructure serving the community and AFL is the primary construction contractor on the project. Telus said residents and businesses can expect to see construction notices and communications from F3 Networks and AFL in the coming weeks. Once the project is complete, Telus will engage with newly connected residents and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Thursday confirmed a preliminary view that regional mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) should have access to shared wireless networks even when an agreement is reached with just one of the carriers.
The commission determined Thursday that the network sharing agreements between Bell and Telus make them one national network “that results in both carriers being national wireless carriers that possess market power,” upholding a view on which it asked for comments in October.
To deny regional players access to parts of that contiguous network would, therefore, confer on the large telcos an undue…
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Telus announced Thursday it has closed a deal that will see the country’s second-largest pension fund purchase a 49.9-per-cent equity stake in Terrion LP, a company with a portfolio of nearly 3,000 Telus wireless towers.
The deal with La Caisse for $1.26 billion, announced last month, means the telco will be able to reduce its net debt by that amount, which was the intended outcome. The transaction values Terrion at $2.5 billion.
The new company will manage the tower sites across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and will generate money through wholesale rental. Telus will retain full…
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