NL Short Takes

Nortel suffers from the gripes of Roth as lawsuits pile upThe Quebec Association for the Protection of Shareholders, along with some Ontario investors, are suing Nortel Networks Corp over comments CEO John Roth made during a webcast that apparently revealed dire forecasts before they were publicly released. Company stock tumbled shortly afterward. Meanwhile, JDS Uniphase Corp has announced it will not pursue legal action against the company over the sale of a laser plant in Switzerland. Much of the transaction involved Nortel shares. Call-Net revenue down, losses up in 2000Call-Net Enterprises Inc announced its revenues decreased while its losses jumped from 1999 to 2000. The Sprint Canada parent said its annual revenue for 2000 was $1.25 billion, compared with $1.284 billion the previous year. Losses were $451 million last year as opposed to $399 million in 1999.CRTC denies Edmonton costs in rights of way disputeIn Costs Order 2001-3, the CRTC turned down an application by the City of Edmonton that it be reimbursed for costs in its intervention in a Part VII application filed by Telus against the City of Toronto. The western telco has asked the commission to expand the local calling area in the central Okanagan region of British Columbia. The CRTC has also received an application from Hurontario Telephones Ltd to change its name to Execulink Telecom Inc.Group Telecom rolls out fibre network to London ONGT Group Telecom Inc has purchased the fibre-optic network and on-net buildings from the City of London in western Ontario. The $8.25-million deal adds 100 route km of fibre to Group Telecom’s network.Central Canadians receive fast Internet from BellBell Canada has introduced faster speeds to its Business Internet High-Speed customers in Quebec and Ontario. The company says clients will be able to download files up to 50 times faster and send files up to three times faster than they are able to with previous technologies.360networks buys American IP company, lights European gridVancouver’s 360networks Inc has purchased NetRail Inc, a wholesale IP service provider based in Atlanta GA. The fibre firm has lit 6,100 km of its European network in the UK, France, Germany and Holland.Global Light connects first segment of undersea gridVancouver-based Global Light Telecommunications has completed the first phase of its submarine broadband fibre network. When the backbone is completed later this year, it will link the US, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.SaskTel opens advanced data centre in SaskatoonProvincial telco SaskTel is opening an advanced data centre in Saskatoon. The company already has a similar centre located in Regina.Mitel is relaunched by founderTerry Matthews, one of the founders of Mitel Corp, has purchased the communications systems division from the company and relaunched it as Mitel Networks Corp. The new firm will specialize in IP telephony.Exfo purchases equipment maker in Arizona, joins TSEExfo Electro-Optical Engineering Inc of Quebec City has bought Vanguard Technical Solutions Inc, an automation equipment manufacturer based in Tucson AZ. The Canadian firm has also been selected for the TSE 300 composite index.ExpressVu offers high-speed service to Toronto buildingsBell ExpressVu LP is extending high-speed Internet access and satellite TV to 12,000 apartments in the Toronto region. It is joining with corporate cousin Sympatico to provide Internet service through existing phone lines.Steeves joins with Cisco to provide IP telephonyIT consulting firm Steeves and Associates has linked with Cisco Systems to institute an IP telephony system in Cisco’s Vancouver office. Steeves is based in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby.Queen’s University Fund to invest in Internet companiesThe Queen’s University Ventures Fund has been set up to bankroll Internet and ecom businesses affiliated with the Ontario school. The Fund will make initial investments of up to $250,000 and subsequent outlays of up to $750,000 in firms with under $1 million in assets.Telecom still popular for IPOsThree telecom companies made the list of Profit Magazine’s hottest Canadian IPOs for 2000. Exfo Electro-Optical Engineering Inc placed eighth, while 360networks Inc registered at number 13 and GT Group Telecom Inc placed 22nd.Telus benefits hospitals by recycling phone directoriesTelus has launched its annual directory-recycling program in Edmonton. Based on the tonnage of phone books donated, the telco makes a cash contribution to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Children’s Health Foundation of Northern Alberta.US agency closes Toronto Internet domain companyThe Federal Trade Commission has shut down a Toronto firm that it says tricked 27,000 clients into registering and paying for domain names they don’t need or want. The firm operates under the monikers NDN Registry, Electronic Domain Name Monitoring and Corporate Domain Name Monitoring. The FTC alleges the Canadian firm defrauded customers into buying additional domain names.Yeah, yeah, we know to dial 10 digits, alreadyIt seems Bell Canada is a little too eager to tell customers to use 10 digits in the Toronto area. People calling from the 905 ring outside the Ontario capital get the recorded message, much to their irritation.I’m sorry but he’s on the other line right nowThieves in Nanaimo BC helped themselves to $25,000 worth of telephone lines, stealing them from poles in order to resell the copper. Telephone service was not disrupted as Telus had switched to fibre optics last year.

NL Short Takes

News | 02/26/2001 5:00 am EST

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