NL Short Takes

Telus buys Clearnet, gains national coverageVancouver-based Telus Corp has made a $6.6-billion bid to buy Clearnet Communications Inc of Scarborough ON. If accepted by Canadian regulators, the combined wireless operations of Telus Mobility and Clearnet would create the country’s largest wireless carrier. With the purchase, Telus gains a national wireless footprint, a cache of spectrum resources unrivaled in Canada and an experienced management team. The new entity, which will operate under the Telus Mobility name and be headed up by Clearnet’s president and CEO George Cope, will be headquartered in Calgary. According to reports, the deal was finalized less than six weeks after Darren Entwistle took over as president and CEO at Telus. For more details, read the Sept. 5 issue of Report on Wireless. CIRA now certifying registrarsThe Canadian Internet Registry Authority (CIRA) has begun certifying registrars which will act as intermediaries between the public, applicants, registrants and the CIRA registry under the new model for the .ca domain name. CIRA has also announced that early this fall it will begin the process of pre-registering existing holders of the Canadian top-level domain. Riptide secures CLEC statusRiptide Networks Inc, Toronto, has won CRTC approval to become a registered CLEC. President and CEO Phil Bates said the company can now begin selling broadband services to the public. Riptide is already co-locating DSL equipment in telco COs across the country, covering about 90% of Canadian businesses. Swedish power company uses Montreal firm’s "last mile" gearPowerNet Communications TEGA Inc, Montreal, has finalized a deal with one of Scandinavia’s largest energy companies to deploy broadband access power communications for its residential, SOHO and telecommuter markets. The agreement with Birka Energi of Sweden is PowerNet’s first commercial deployment. Gateway, CPR deal to bring new fibre network to westGateway Networks, Toronto, has signed an agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway to install fibre optics along a 4,800 km right-of-way in western Canada. The network will connect Winnipeg, Regina, Moose Jaw, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, and will extend south to Chicago. Terms of the agreement were not released. The western build will connect with Gateway’s eastern network, scheduled for completion by early next year. The western leg should be finished by the end of 2001. CRTC maintains status quo for NWTel and Telus interconnectionTelus Communications Inc has failed for a second time to convince the CRTC to allow a new interconnection agreement between itself and Northwestel – Order CRTC 2000-787. Responding to the western telco’s review and vary application of telecom orders 99-1230 and 99-1231, the commission concluded that the two telcos should stick to their 1996 agreement until it has finished the current review of Northwestel’s regulatory framework. Telus argued that the commission altered a commercial decision to protect the revenues of Northwestel, a subsidiary of rival BCE Inc. The CRTC has made no secret of its concern for Northwestel’s financial viability, saying the new agreements would have resulted in higher costs for the northern telco. CRTC to review rules for access to in-building wireAfter years of squabbling between ILECs, CLECs and building owners, the CRTC has finally initiated a proceeding to establish rules for in-building access. Released August 25, Telecom PN 2000-124 will examine the possible fees, charges and other terms and conditions associated with access to multi-dwelling units. The proceeding will also look at the rules for facilities used by cablecos and other broadcast distributors. The CRTC says its purpose is to ensure non-discriminatory access and end-user choice. Anyone wanting to participate in the proceeding must let the commission know by September 8. New area codes for Ontario, B.C.August 15 & 17/00: New area codes and 10-digit dialing will be introduced in the greater Vancouver and Toronto areas next year. In Order 2000-786, the CRTC announced that telephone subscribers in the Greater Toronto Regional District, including the Abbotsford and Mission exchanges of 604, will be assigned an additional area code that will result in 10-digit dialing for all 604 residents. The new system will be in place Nov. 3, 2001. In Toronto, the new code and 10-digit dialing for 905 will be implemented by June 9, 2001 – Order 2000-772. The CRTC said it would have preferred to split the 905 area code into three main geographic areas and assign each a new code, but that there wasn’t enough time to do that. Telcos have until May 26, 2001 in Vancouver and until April 7, 2001 in Toronto to develop public awareness campaigns to advise customers of the change. Regulatory briefsOrder CRTC 2000-783August 16/00: Bell Canada is getting out of the high frequency remote radio business in Quebec. The CRTC approved the application by Bell, which said it would have to increase rates significantly to make the service pay for itself. Bell is transferring its facilities and its 1,788 subscribers to the service to Groupe Pagex, a telecom company headquartered in Chicoutimi QC. Order CRTC 2000-745August 11/00: Bell Canada wants to modify its Centrex service charges, which would eliminate a separate customer visit charge associated with service connection and order processing transactions. This represented an average rate increase of 26 per cent. AT&T Canada, Primus Telecommunications, Optel Communications (now Axxent) and GT Group Telecom opposed the move. The commission agreed with the new entrants and denied the application. CRTC Order 2000-744August 10/00: An application by Call-Net Communications to apply per order and per loop service charges to a LEC wishing to acquire a loop to provide service to a former Call-Net customer was denied. The activities necessary to provide a local loop are different for ILECs than they are for Call-Net, the CRTC ruled. The commission also pointed out another CLEC attempting to service a Call-Net subscriber would be required to pay the ILEC’s charges as well as Call-Net’s, under the proposal. PN CRTC 2000-114August 8/00: Most of Canada’s ILECs—Telus, Bell, Island Telecom, MTS, MT&T, NBTel and NewTel—have filed an application regarding the Advantage 900 program. The two primary components are a per call limit of $25 and a requirement that the service provider include a complete list of all numbers through which service may be accessed. Comments must by filed by August 29, with the telcos’ replies due by September 12. Order CRTC 2000-743August 8/00: Bell Canada has lost its bid to charge a flat rate for local channel services, rather than a rate based on distance. The change would have resulted in an overall increase in local channel rates, something the CRTC considered "unjustified". CRTC Order 2000-735August 3/00: The CRTC has approved applications from Bell Canada, Manitoba Telecom Services and Telus for compensation per call for toll-free calls from companies’ payphones. The firms are required to provide tracking reports to competitive pay phone service providers. One provider, Canada Payphone Corp, complained that Telus’s proposed format was too unwieldy. The CRTC agreed and ordered Telus to use the same format as Bell. CRTC Order 2000-736August 4/00: The CRTC granted forbearance on additional interexchange private line routes where CLECs now provide services at DS-3 or higher bandwidth. AT&T Canada Corp and MK Telecom Network Inc submitted several IXPL routes while Call-Net Enterprises Inc did not add any to the list previously submitted. The routes involved belong to Telus, MTS and Bell.

NL Short Takes

News | 08/28/2000 4:00 am EDT

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