By Denis Carmel
On Wednesday, the CRTC rendered decisions denying the Review and Vary (R&V) requests filed by Telus and Iristel in November and September 2020 respectively.
At stake was a CRTC decision made in August 2020 following a complaint issued by Telus in August 2018 alleging traffic stimulation activities conducted by Iristel regarding long-distance calls using area code 867, which serves Northern Canada.
Later, Telus proceeded to block 867 calls from Iristel using self-help remedies, basically taking the law into its own hands.
Both were found guilty and the CRTC decided that by violating the Telecom Act, they would…
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VANCOUVER — Telus Agriculture announced today it is committing $100,000 to support British Columbia farmers, farms, families and livestock affected by the catastrophic flooding that caused a state of emergency in the province earlier this month.
Telus Agriculture will give $50,000 to the BC Agriculture Council to support its emergency fund for farmers and $50,000 of in-kind support in veterinary services, comfort kits and network access, explains a press release.
In addition, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, 2021, Telus Agriculture is running a social media campaign that will see the organization give an additional $1 to the BC Agriculture Council…
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VANCOUVER and MUSQUEAM, SQUAMISH and TSLEIL-WAUTUTH TERRITORIES — Telus Communications today released its 2021 Indigenous Reconciliation and Connectivity Report, which is an evolution of its annual connectivity report and includes the company’s first-ever Indigenous reconciliation action plan.
Earlier this fall, Telus announced the launch of its Reconciliation Commitment and said it would implement its inaugural Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan later this year.
“Guided by Indigenous voices and Indigenous-led frameworks of reconciliation, Telus has proudly formalized our commitment to reconciliation, becoming the first technology company in Canada to develop and launch a public Indigenous reconciliation action plan,” reads the company’s…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC hearing into Rogers Communications’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications wrapped up Friday with a reply from Rogers during which the company argued the deal is good for Canadians and for the broadcasting system despite what interveners have said over the past week.
“As our panel highlighted on Monday, there is no question that this transaction is in the public interest,” said Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president of regulatory at Rogers.
“It embraces the transformational moment we face, positioning Canada’s broadcasting system for a strong and sustainable future. With Shaw and Rogers joining forces, Canadian consumers will enjoy more…
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CALGARY – Earlier this week, WestJet and Telus trialled Trusted Boarding, which uses facial verification technology as a touchless method of checking the identity of travellers before they board a flight.
“The trial was the first-of-its-kind in Canada and took place at the YYC Calgary International Airport,” according to a WestJet press release.
Trusted Boarding “employs a self-sovereign identity ecosystem (the creation of unique, private and secure connections between two trusted parties) through a TELUS-provisioned digital identity wallet in a smartphone application for IOS and Android,” the press release explains.
“It provides contactless document validation, where a facial verification scan is matched with a…
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DAWSON CREEK, BC and DRUMHELLER, Alta. – Telus announced last week it has expanded its 5G network to Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Drumheller, Alberta.
Residents and businesses in these communities now have access to the company’s 5G network, which provides speeds of up to 1.7 Gbps, according to two separate press releases announcing the expansion. (The Dawson Creek release is available here, and the Drumheller release is available here.)
Telus indicated in the releases it “is on track to provide 70% of the Canadian population with access to its 5G network by the end of the year.” Currently,…
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OTTAWA – The Portrait Gallery of Canada (PGC) announced today Telus is a founding partner of the new non-profit organization.
PGC’s goal is “to share humanizing stories of Canada through portraiture,” a press release says.
“Through its exhibitions, artist talks, social media engagements, presentations and catalogues, the PGC addresses the complex issues of the day from a variety of voices and celebrates the rich diversity of people who live on these lands,” the release says.
PGC is an online gallery, available at portraitcanada.ca.
Telus’s partnership enables PGC “to support artists, curators, educators, designers, communicators, translators and others who contribute to the PGC’s programs…
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GATINEAU – More concerns about Rogers Communications’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications were shared with the CRTC during day three of the hearing, Wednesday.
While the day’s presentations showed the deal definitely has its supporters, it also highlighted the many concerns there are about the consequences of the deal in its current form on the Canadian broadcasting system generally, and on independent broadcasters and consumers specifically.
TLN Media Group Inc. and Ethnic Channels Group Limited, who presented together to highlight issues specific to Canadian ethnic independents, told the Commission that despite their opposition to the deal in their written submission, they…
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ISED referenced U.S. action on Chinese telecoms as justification for ban
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A Chinese telecom that resold Canadian services and plans was operating illegally for five years and posed a significant threat to the country’s national security, Innovation Canada said in a submission to the Federal Court.
The department was responding to a judicial review application by China Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator that was asked this summer to leave the country after a public safety review.
The company is asking the court to pause the revocation of its authorization to operate until the court decides on the…
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Telecoms have said this would impact the value of the 5G frequencies
By Ahmad Hathout
Innovation Canada said last week it will stick with its proposal to place restrictions on the use of the 3.5 GHz spectrum in areas surrounding 26 major airports, which some of Canada’s telecoms want to deploy 5G wireless networks.
The exclusion areas are intended to prevent interference with aircraft altimeters, which use radio signals to guide the airplane to the runway.
The large telecoms, including Bell, Rogers and Telus, said Innovation Canada did not indicate before the 3.5 GHz auction in June that the department would prevent…
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