NL Short Takes

Manitoba Telecom starts digital TV trial in WinnipegManitoba Telecom Services Inc. has begun the initial rollout of its digital TV service. 200 subscribers in Winnipeg are watching television through DSL lines (NL, Feb. 11/02). The trial is scheduled to last six to eight months. Industry observers will find the move interesting since the CRTC has yet to approve MTS’ application for a broadcast distribution licence. For more details on this story, see the next edition of NL affiliate publication Canadian Communications Reports. Aliant Telecom granted some changes to late payment chargeThe CRTC has approved, in Telecom Order 2002-201, a bid by Aliant Telecom Inc. to move its four regional late payment charges to its general tariff but denied the clauses seeking the increase or introduction of minimum late payment charges. The commission is seeking comment on the latter issue, with interventions filed to the CRTC by June 25. Call-Net accuses Bell of violating win-back rulesCall-Net Enterprises Inc. has filed a Part VII application with the CRTC accusing Bell Canada of violating the win-back provisions. The CLEC says Bell began calling former customers before the proper time period had elapsed. Nortel files statements with securities regulatorsNortel Networks Corp. and Nortel Networks Ltd. have filed a preliminary base shelf prospectus in Canada and a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the U.S. that will allow the companies to sell up to US$2.5 billion in various securities. Five different securities may be offered over the course of the next two years. EXFO, Orchestream make staffing cutsQuebec City’s EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. is reducing its workforce by 20% as part of its restructuring plan. Orchestream has cut its presence in Ottawa to fewer than 30 employees. The British company purchased Ottawa’s CrossKeys Systems Inc. in 2001. Telecom Ottawa selects Foundry for equipmentTelecom Ottawa, the telephony unit of Ottawa Hydro, has chosen Foundry Networks of San Jose CA to supply its networking equipment. The American firm will supply routers, switches and other gear for Telecom Ottawa’s metro area network. New broadband rollout on Prairies, northern OntarioA total of 162 libraries across Saskatchewan will be getting high-speed Internet access within the next three months, as part of the province’s CommunityNet program. Next door in Manitoba, the government has announced plans to spend $47.4 million to set up high-speed broadband links to northern hospitals and government offices. Bell Canada has linked with the Nipissing Integrated Community Network (NipNet) to launch high-speed service in the northern Ontario district. Cogency introduces electric home network deviceCogency Semiconductor Inc. of Ottawa has unveiled a USB-home plug adapter that turns an electrical outlet into a network port. The adapter permits USB-enabled computers and similar devices to be connected to a network. Onlinetel inks termination deals in Canada and United StatesOnlinetel Corp., a VoIP company, has signed termination agreements with carriers and resellers in the United States and in Canada. The deals are worth more than $300,000 per month. Onlinetel is a division of Eiger Technology Inc. of Toronto. Phone Directories accused of making false sales pitchThe federal Commissioner of Competition has warned Phone Directories Co. Inc. of Orem UT to stop making misleading representations about its product. The company, which operates Western Phone Directories to serve the Canadian market, has been the subject of complaints from businesses in the Kamloops and Okanagan Valley districts of B.C. Western Phone prints directories in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C., Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Quebecor subsidiary wins praise for Internet sitesFour B2C web sites created by nurun Inc. were rated among the best in Quebec by Commerce magazine. The sites designed by the Quebecor Media Inc. subsidiary were for Rona (4th place), music and book distributor Archambault (6th place), L’Oreal perfumes (11th place) and Air Transat (15th place). Inter.net to offer complete email filtering productISP Inter.net Canada is providing end users with free access to email filtering products to prevent spam, viruses and unwanted content. The company is offering the products with Brightmail Inc. Cygnal Technologies launches Internet product for hotelsCygnal Technologies Corp. of Oshawa ON has introduced a new product that allows hotel guests to have faster Internet hookups as well as simultaneous telephone and Internet services. The Superclick technology is the first that brings high-speed Internet access into the mix. Telemarketers losing their voices, new study saysThe University of Nebraska has completed a survey that finds telemarketers are twice as likely to suffer from vocal problems as others. About a third of the workers noticed symptoms like hoarseness, dry throat and loss of voice. ITU cancels Argentine telecom conferenceThe International Telecommunication Union has cancelled the Telecom Americas 2003 conference scheduled for Buenos Aires in February. This is the latest meeting to have been scrubbed due to the economic climate (NL, Apr. 9/02). NTL to offer full suite of services with Freeserve BroadbandNTL Inc., a British broadband carrier, has inked a deal between its NTL Business division and ISP Freeserve to deliver the ISP’s service through the carrier’s cable network. Freeserve Broadband will be made available as part of a bundled package that includes telephony and digital TV. European Commission warns Deutsche Telekom about tariffsThe European Commission has sent a statement of objections to Deutsche Telekom accusing the German ILEC of abusing its position. The EC says DT is charging CLECs higher wholesale fees for access to local loops than DT subscribers pay for retail use. European security provisions too tight, watchdog saysStatewatch, a British-based Internet group that monitors civil liberty threats in Europe, cautions that telecoms and ISPs across the continent may be forced to retain all their traffic data. A new bill being secretly drafted could force all phone calls, emails, faxes and Internet usage to be placed under surveillance, Statewatch claims. Callers getting service from bait-and-hookersA typographical error on information about Saskatchewan fishing licences misdirected callers to a phone sex line. People trying to get the provincial Environment Distribution Centre were connected with a sultry voice purring, "Feel the heat with wild, sexy porn starlets." The environment department has apologized for the mix-up.

NL Short Takes

News | May 21, 2002

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