By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Quebecor took a shot at a recent industry trend involving the sale of wireless infrastructure to pay down debt, claiming the company has been able to “maintain the best balance sheet” so it can avoid those kinds of transactions.
Rogers and Telus have recently committed to selling minority stakes in their wireless infrastructure in part to pay down debt. Rogers has spent a boatload of money over the past couple of years acquiring assets to shore up its core businesses, while Telus has been focused on expanding east.
“I’m not…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell said Thursday it has agreed to sell its home security and monitored alarm assets, in a transaction that aligns with its efforts to focus on its core businesses.
The transaction to Toronto-based a.p.i Alarm Inc. is part of a strategy of focusing on its telecommunications, enterprise solutions and media businesses, the company said Thursday. Closing is expected in the second half of this year.
The deal, whose top-end value is estimated at $170 million, comes nearly eight years after it purchased Alarm Force for $166 million – a move that it said would boost its…
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Eastlink says it is suspending planned upgrades
By Ahmad Hathout
The federal government will not send back the CRTC’s decision to allow the three largest telecommunications companies to ride on the internet networks of others, pointing to competition and lower costs.
“Canada’s new government has a strong mandate to bring costs down and to build one, strong, Canadian economy – one that aligns with our core values as a nation,” Industry Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement late Wednesday.
“According to the policy direction, the CRTC is responsible for considering how its decisions affect all forms of competition and investment, as well…
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Telus’s strategic investment arm Telus Global Ventures announced last week its participation as lead investor in workplace mental health platform Unmind’s recent US$35-million round of investment.
This funding will support London, U.K.-headquartered Unmind’s continued U.S. expansion, offering employees therapy, advanced wellbeing tools, science-backed content, and AI coaching in one seamless platform, according to an Unmind press release.
“Our investment in Unmind represents a strategic alignment with TELUS’ leading global vision for the future of workplace mental health,” said Terry Doyle, managing partner at Telus Global Ventures, in a statement. “Unmind’s product-led approach,…
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Telco previously hinted at a minority sale in its cell tower portfolio
By Ahmad Hathout
Telus announced Friday that it has agreed to sell to a pension fund a minority stake in a separate entity that will carry its wireless infrastructure.
La Caisse, one of the largest pension funds in the country, will spend $1.26 billion on the 49.9 per cent interest in Terrion, a newly created cell tower operator headquartered in Montreal and headed by long-time Telus executive Eros Spadotto.
Terrion will manage about 3,000 tower sites across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and will generate money through wholesale rental. Telus…
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Rogers announced Wednesday it is rolling out WiFi 7 to customers in Quebec with Rogers 5G Home Internet.
“This launch brings next generation connectivity and reliable WiFi on Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network,” Rogers said in a press release.
This follows its introduction of WiFi 7 to Rogers Xfinity customers in Calgary in June and in Atlantic Canada last week. The Toronto-headquartered cable giant has previously said Rogers Xfinity will roll out WiFi 7 to the rest of Canada this year.
“Canadians deserve the best connectivity…
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Cogeco Communications on Wednesday announced the official launch of its mobile service in 13 markets in Quebec and Ontario, one more than it pre-announced during its third-quarter earnings conference call earlier this month.
Cogeco Mobile, which uses the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) regime, is now available to new and existing Cogeco Internet subscribers who bring their own device in the following markets: Alma, Magog, Rimouski, Saint-Georges, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Sauveur, Sept-Îles and Trois-Rivières in Quebec; and Brockville, Chatham, Cobourg, Cornwall and Welland in Ontario.
The launch of the service in these markets comes…
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Telus announced Tuesday it has launched Wi-Fi 7 for its PureFibre internet customers on gigabit speed plans or above initially in select areas of British Columbia, with availability in Alberta and Quebec soon to follow.
Delivering speeds up to four times faster than Wi-Fi 6, Telus’s new Boost Wi-Fi 7 internet router is built with at least 65-per-cent recycled plastic and comes in plastic-free packaging made from 90-per-cent recycled cardboard, according to a Telus press release.
“The launch of Wi-Fi 7 is a game-changer for connected homes across Canada underscoring our commitment to…
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The governments of Canada and British Columbia announced Monday more than $77 million in combined federal and provincial funding for 15 projects to bring high-speed internet access to 6,993 households in over 100 rural and remote communities across B.C., including more than 1,200 Indigenous homes.
In addition, the Canadian government is separately investing $7 million in three projects that will provide 727 households in the communities of Spallumcheen (Splatsin First Nation) and Hullcar with access to high-speed internet and bring cellular connectivity to more than 120 kilometres of road in…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Telus is admitting that it became aware of, but dealt with, a “small and isolated number” of “rogue” third-party representatives who were engaging on its behalf in the promotion of pirate IPTV services to get people to subscribe to its internet services.
In a statement of defense, filed Friday with the Ontario Superior Court and in response to an action commenced by Bell, the Vancouver-based telecom says it received a customer complaint in May about a representative who was promoting the illegal service.
“In accordance with TELUS’s standard escalation processes and before Bell commenced this action, TELUS immediately investigated…
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