NL Short Takes

BCE looking to sell international telcoBCE Inc. has indicated it plans to put its Bell Canada International division up for sale. In a conference for analysts, the telecom giant said it would begin listing BCI under "discontinued operations" starting in the first quarter of next year. BCI also announced a reorganizing plan that will see its Telecom Americas Ltd. joint venture focusing on the wireless market in Brazil. MTS in talks with Bell Canada about western initiativesManitoba Telecom Services Inc. has confirmed it is holding business development talks with Bell Canada "aimed at further leveraging and building on the significant success the two companies have achieved through their growth initiatives in Alberta and B.C." There are rumours that Bell will give up its 20% share of MTS in return for a greater stake in Bell Intrigna, currently two-thirds owned by the provincial telco, with the rest held by Bell. Telecom Ottawa makes official debutHydro Ottawa Holding Inc. has formally announced the creation of its broadband division, Telecom Ottawa Ltd. The company is part of a growing number of utilities entering the telecom field (NL, Nov. 6/01). The company expects to name a managment team to work with EVP David Dobbin in a few weeks. Cabinet rejects Amtelecom appeal on contributionThe federal Cabinet has turned down an appeal by Amtelecom Inc., Bruce Municipal Telephone System, Prince Rupert City Telephones and Sogetel Inc. on contribution (NL, Apr. 23/01). The review and vary filing had already been dismissed by the CRTC. CRTC sets regulations for independent telcosThe CRTC has issued Decision 2001-756, outlining a regulatory framework for the 39 small ILECs. The new rules, which come into effect next month, will focus on prices instead of earnings. The framework will allow for price increases based on inflation and will reflect changes brought about by the new contribution mechanism introduced by the commission in Decision 2000-745. Contribution rate for 2002 set at 1.4% by CRTCThe CRTC has issued Order 2001-876, which sets the 2002 contribution percentage charge at 1.4%, establishes the national subsidy requirement at $279 million, and creates interim procedures for the disbursement of the subsidy. The order came as a result of a Part VII application from the major ILECs with the exception of Telus Corp. Shaw sets aside suit with Telus over Internet ad claimsShaw Cablesystems is talking with Telus Corp. over the telco’s advertisements for its DSL service. Shaw, which has 80% of the Alberta-B.C. market, claims Telus is misrepresenting the technical differences between cable modems and DSL. It is setting aside a lawsuit it had filed to prevent Telus from stating that DSL is faster than cable because the service is never shared. Bell equity battle heading to Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal by Bell Canada against the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s decision that the telco should implement pay equity for its operators. The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, which initiated the pay equity fight nearly a decade ago, believes the high court appeal will delay a final conclusion for another two years. High-speed Internet service rolls out across PrairiesSeveral Internet providers have expanded the reach of their high-speed service in the Prairie provinces. Shaw Communications Inc. has introduced the service in the Alberta areas of Olds Region, Ponoka, Didsbury, Innisfail and Lacombe. SaskTel is rolling out the service in Esterhazy and Outlook while Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. is moving into Stonewall. TeraSpan completes fibre network for B.C. Cancer AgencyThe British Columbia Cancer Agency now has a fibre network that connects four buildings to the Vancouver General Hospital. The grid was installed by TeraSpan Networks Inc., a subsidiary of Ignition Point Technologies Corp. Fibre backbone replaces cable system in St. Boniface schoolsTeraGo Networks Inc. has signed a deal with the St. Boniface MB School Division No. 4 to provide high-speed broadband to 20 school sites in the Winnipeg area. The 1.5 Mbps connection replaces the cable service previously used. Mitel Networks introduces new IP platformOttawa’s Mitel Networks has launched its Integrated Communications Platform and targeted the small and medium business market. The ICP provides WAN and public network connectivity, voice mail and support for up to 24 IP and 10 analog users, among other features. Nortel and partners unveil OMNInet in ChicagoNortel Networks has joined with SBC Communications Inc., its SBC Ameritech subsidiary, and Northwestern University to create OMNInet. OMNInet, otherwise known as the Optical Metro Network Initiative, will provide a test bed for high-speed technology and will test next-gen applications in fields such as health, finance and industrial design. Orbit creates subsidiary south of the borderOrbit E-Commerce of Toronto has formed an American division to build and operate its VoIP network across the United States. The head office will be in New York, close to the POP in Newark NJ, the first of 50 POPs slated to appear in the U.S. FCC to look at rules for ILEC broadband servicesThe Federal Communications Commission in Washington has announced a review of the regulatory requirements for ILEC broadband services. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking looks to see what changes, if any, should be made in how ILECs are governed. Canoe and Moxie are a pick to click with new channelMoxie.ca, a female-oriented content portal, is joining with Canoe.ca to present content on Canoe’s Lifewise channel. Moxie has a network of 14 web sites covering topics such as health, sex, sports, and cooking. Unilink in exclusive deal with IPS InternationalUnilink Tele.com has signed an agreement with IPS International Payment Solutions Inc. that will give the Canadian company the exclusive right to use IPS’ point-of-sale system in Canada and in Hong Kong. The three-year deal will see Unilink pay IPS $250,000 plus 610,795 common shares. EXFO introduces testing option for component test systemQuebec City’s EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. has unveiled a multi-path testing option for its IQ-12004B DWDM Passive Component Test System. The company has also announced a strategic alliance with ATS Automation Tool Systems Inc. of Cambridge ON that will see EXFO’s automated manufacturing subsystems and test systems integrated into the ATS turnkey custom and standard automation products. Zarlink unveils VoIP processing chipsOttawa equipment manufacturer Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. has launched two high capacity devices for VoIP service. The network processors provide cost effectiveness and single-chip TDM-to-IP voice processing. Onsource fires marketer who slammed customersOntario Hydro Energy has gotten rid of a sales agent who it discovered was slamming consumers by forging their names on application forms to its Onsource service (NL, May 23/00). The ruse was uncovered when Leon Shen of London ON complained about the tactic to the Toronto Star. High-speed uses increases, American survey findsA study by Nielsen/NetRatings in the United States reports that over 21 million people are deploying DSL or cable modems for Internet service. That represents a 90% jump from the figures of one year ago. Telus offers homeless a helping hand for the holidaysTelus is donating 2,800 prepaid phone cards to 90 social service agencies in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. The telco hopes homeless youths will use the 10-minute cards to contact their families at Christmas.

NL Short Takes

News | 12/18/2001 5:00 am EST

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