Telus claims lawsuit has no merit
By Ahmad Hathout
An Asian content programmer is alleging Telus has been broadcasting its programming without consent.
APNA Desi TV Network Inc. alleges in a statement of claim filed in Federal Court last month that Telus has been retransmitting Prime Asia Television content that it claims it has the exclusive rights to broadcast in the country.
“Plaintiff expressly notified the Defendant verbally in a meeting held in December 2023 and in January 2024 in writing of its exclusive rights and provided documentary confirmation,” the copyright complaint claims. “Notwithstanding such notice, the Defendant continued to carry, market, broadcast…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Eastlink is expressing disappointment Friday after the CRTC blocked it from destandardizing certain internet speeds for third-party service providers that it no longer offers to its own retail customers.
In March last year, the regional telecom asked the CRTC to allow it to eliminate the 100 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload and the 300/10 Mbps speed tiers from competitor access as it stopped offering those tiers to new retail customers in December 2024. The telecom said the proposal was part of its effort to streamline and consolidate its service offerings.
But the CRTC denied the change Friday on the basis…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled last month that a trial court should consider punitive damages in a proposed class action lawsuit involving the reimbursement of phone unlocking fees.
In February 2024, the Quebec Superior Court authorized a class of plaintiffs to sue Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Quebecor for charging phone unlocking fees to Quebec customers between the period of August 14, 2014 and December 1, 2017.
But the court denied a request to allow the class to seek punitive damages, which would go beyond reimbursement, in part because it believed that the telecoms did not act maliciously. The…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) has formally made way for a stretch of spectrum to be used for wireless backhaul capacity.
The department last month removed the multipoint communication system (MCS) designation for the 21.2-21.8 GHz and 22.4-23 GHz bands to create a contiguous stretch for fixed point-to-point systems, such as wireless backhaul. The repurposed spectrum will be licensed on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Enhanced backhaul capacity will be required so that the increased data traffic in a mobile network between the base station and a user can be effectively…
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Bell announced Monday it has been awarded $24,000 in compensatory and punitive damages by the Court of Quebec in a case involving theft of the telco’s copper wire in Chicoutimi in January 2024.
In a decision handed down Nov. 26, the Quebec court awarded Bell $19,000 in compensatory damages for network repairs and $5,000 in punitive damages, which a Bell press release said underscored the seriousness of the offence and its consequences.
The copper theft in Chicoutimi on Jan. 2, 2024 resulted in 94 customers losing internet service for more than 36 hours,…
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Telus announced Tuesday it has partnered with kini mobile to launch Made for Pinoys, new prepaid mobile plans that offer dual Philippine-Canadian connectivity on Telus’s 5G network.
These plans allow customers to maintain both Philippine and Canadian mobile services on a single device, “while addressing the unique connectivity needs of Filipino residents, international students, temporary foreign workers and travelers who spend time in both countries,” said a Telus press release.
“TELUS is proud to support the Filipino community in Canada with connectivity solutions designed specifically for their needs,” said Kal…
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Telus announced last week the launch of its new Mobility for Good for Indigenous Women at Risk program in Manitoba, in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs – First Nations Family Advocate Office (AMC-FNFAO) and non-profit Indigenous services organization Ka Ni Kanichihk.
This marks the third expansion of Telus’s program that provides free smartphones and wireless services to Indigenous women who may be at risk of or experiencing violence. First launched in Alberta and B.C. in 2021, and later expanded to Ontario and Quebec, the Telus…
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The CRTC has notified Telus that it must immediately stop selling locked cellphones, after the commission became aware the Vancouver-based telecom has been selling its customers phones that are locked for up to 60 days after purchase.
In a letter Tuesday, the CRTC also directed Telus to unlock, free of charge, any cellphone still locked to its network and notify affected customers that it has done so.
This missive to Telus follows a similar one sent to Bell in late November in which the CRTC directed Bell to stop its practice…
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Telus Health and the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal announced Tuesday the launch of their second Health for Good mobile clinic, expanding their capacity to provide healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in the city.
“With this second mobile clinic, we are strengthening our capacity to meet the most vulnerable people where they are, and to offer them personal and practical support. We can now further connect with this population and work to find solutions that preserve dignity,” said James Hughes, CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, in a press release.
Since the launch of the first Old…
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Follows other telecoms asking for change in reporting thresholds
By Ahmad Hathout
Telesat is asking the CRTC to clarify if satellite transport providers are subject to its new outage reporting rules and, if so, to amend them because they are not privy to some of the information the regulator is asking for.
In a review and vary application made public on Monday, the Ottawa-based company said because it doesn’t provide services directly to retail customers, it cannot comply with the CRTC’s new rules that establish a new threshold for reporting to official bodies. It is asking for a new set of reporting…
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