VANCOUVER – While Rogers Communications has been working on its acquisition of Shaw Communications, Telus has been accelerating its broadband build program in the hopes of grabbing market share ahead the proposed deal’s approval.
“We knew the timeline for… going through the process of approval was 18 months to two years, and then they’ve got a post-acquisition integration effort,” said Tony Geheran (above), executive vice-president and chief operations officer at Telus, in an interview with Cartt.ca.
Based on this, in May 2021, Telus announced it would invest an additional $1.5 billion in capital expenditures over 18 months. This pulled forward…
Continue Reading
Interventions suggest scope of CRTC hearing could be appropriately widened
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s decision on the future of the Russian state-funded English-language news service RT is unlikely to have a significant impact, Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. (ECGL) argues in an intervention submitted to the CRTC yesterday.
RT came to Canada in 2009 after ECGL applied to add it to the Commission’s list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada.
The CRTC received an order from the Governor in Council last week, asking it to “hold a hearing to determine whether RT (formally known as Russia Today)…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
COGECO CEO PHILIPPE JETTÉ (above) said today his company has been in “constant conversation” with Canada’s telecom regulator about when the industry can get the terms and conditions required for establishing a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and is expecting something in ‘late spring, early summer.’
In April last year, the CRTC decided regional telecoms can force negotiations with the big three national telecoms for access to their mobile wireless networks, thereby allowing these smaller entities to establish services beyond their existing territory – so long as they have spectrum and infrastructure in the target area.
But the regulator has…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER, KELOWNA and WINNIPEG — Telus Communications announced today the expansion of several Telus Community Boards in the western provinces of Canada.
The Telus Vancouver Community Board is expanding to include Vancouver coastal communities and is formally changing its name to the Telus Vancouver and Coastal Community Board. This expansion “will support 36 communities across Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Sea to Sky corridor, including Squamish, Whistler, Gibsons and Sechelt, with boundaries encompassing Hope up to Pemberton, and over to Powell River,” according to a press release.
The Telus Thompson Okanagan Community Board announced it is expanding to include Dawson…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telus announced yesterday it has successfully rolled out its first phase of migration to the Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) services in B.C. and Alberta.
NG9-1-1 continues to deliver voice services to callers, “while also increasing capacity and safety for residents,” a press release says. It opens the technological possibilities for things like more precise location data and video and photo sharing.
“The conclusion of this migration will critically enhance public safety by adding significant capacity for large-scale emergencies involving high call volumes,” the release says.
“In an emergency, every second counts and information is critical. Bringing this next-generation technology to the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC today released a call for comments on the distribution of the Russian state-financed English-language news channel RT in Canada after receiving an order from the Governor in Council requesting a hearing be held on the matter.
A motion to issue the order was passed in the House of Commons this past Monday, a day after major television service providers including Bell, Telus and Rogers announced they would be dropping RT from their channel lineups.
The order, which was sent March 2, specifically asked the Commission to “hold a hearing to determine whether RT (formerly known…
Continue Reading
Rogers, Shaw continue to work with government; Quebecor CEO weighs in
OTTAWA – Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne will not allow Rogers Communications to acquire all of Shaw Communications’ wireless licences, he said in a statement today.
“The wholesale transfer of Shaw’s wireless licences to Rogers is fundamentally incompatible with our government’s policies for spectrum and mobile service competition, and I will simply not permit it,” the statement reads.
Champagne noted the importance of access to Internet and wireless services and said the “government is making every effort to ensure that telecommunications services are reliable, innovative, competitive…
Continue Reading
MISSISSAUGA – Telus and Samsung announced today they have successfully deployed Canada’s first next-generation Mission Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) services.
Deployed over Telus’s network, the “MCPTX solution will equip Canada’s first responders with the information and data they need to more accurately assess emergency situations, improve responsiveness and operational efficiency, and drive better public safety outcomes,” a press release explains.
“This state-of-the-art technology will enhance multimedia communications with vital operational features such as video, geographic information system (GIS), geo-fencing, remote database access, and more, keeping communities safer.”
MCPTX technologies can enhance communications during numerous public safety scenarios. For example, with MCPTX technologies, “traffic…
Continue Reading
Document filed reveals new information about 2019 meeting with Bell COO
By Amanda OYE
CHATHAM, Ont. – TekSavvy Solutions Inc. filed a disclosure of facts and circumstances today to the federal Integrity Commissioner regarding the actions of CRTC chair and CEO Ian Scott, which provides new information on the widely reported meeting between Scott and then Bell chief operating officer (now CEO) Mirko Bibic at an Ottawa bar.
According to a public version of its disclosure, TekSavvy is arguing Scott “committed a wrongdoing within the meaning of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.” The company is seeking further investigation into this matter.
The…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER — Telus Communications announced today its Telus PureFibre customers in western Canada now have access to two new Wi-Fi solutions from the company – its Wi-Fi access point with tri-band technology and its new Wi-Fi Plus service.
Wi-Fi Plus is “Canada’s first all-in-one personalized Wi-Fi service that customers can add to their Wi-Fi 6 connection to ensure the most reliable, whole-home coverage, along with a dedicated support team, network security, and professional installation,” reads a Telus press release.
When combined, Telus’s Wi-Fi 6 access point and Wi-Fi Plus service “deliver the fastest Wi-Fi speeds and most reliable home coverage in…
Continue Reading