NL Short Takes

Group Telecom bankruptcy protection extended until fallGT Group Telecom Inc.’s protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act has been extended. The company, which filed at the end of June (NL, July 3/02), is now shielded until September 10. Its American protection has been extended until September 13. Manitoba Telecom Services releases good Q2 numbersManitoba Telecom Services Inc. showed growth in LD and directory service revenues in Q2 2002, while local revenues dipped slightly. The provincial ILEC reported an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.22 from $0.19. Bell Canada International sells stake in Telecom AmericasBCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Canada International has sold its holdings in Telecom Americas for US$366 million, $146 million in cash and $220 million in an interest-free note from America Mòvil. The company’s plan of arrangement was approved earlier by shareholders (NL Update, July 22/02). IBEW local ratifies new three-year contract with Northwestel The 380 Northwestel workers who had been on strike have ratified their new contract. The employees, members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 1574, will receive a 4% raise each year for three years, plus a 1.5% incentive in the first year. The telco, which had claimed during the strike a pay hike would be paid for by customers, now says that won’t happen. BCE Emergis unloads e-News Services on CCNMatthewsBCE Emergis has sold its e-News Services division to news distribution company CCNMatthews. Many of the Emergis workers will shift to the other firm, which will now hold about 40% of the total news distribution market in Canada. Telus to build next-generation network across CanadaTelus Corp. is shifting its backbone from circuit-based infrastructure to an IP network. The western-based telco expects to have the first phase of installation finished by next summer. Bell West buys dark fibre from Total Telcom for SuperNetBell West has purchased six dark fibres running between Edmonton and Grand Prairie AB from Total Telcom Inc., a deal the fibre company announced earlier without revealing who the buyer was (NL, July 15/02). The strands will be used to deploy Alberta’s SuperNet network. Bankruptcy extension given to Global Light TelecomGlobal Light Telecommunications Inc. has been granted an extension under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The company, which filed at the end of June (NL, July 3/02), is now under protection until August 1. Eiger reassures investors as market fluctuatesEiger Technology Inc. advised investors that, despite a recent share price decline of 24%, the company is still outperforming its rivals. Eiger states its price has fallen 19.7% since mid-April, while the VoIP index has dropped 28.5% and its YTD revenue is up 108% against a 15% fall in the VoIP index. Nortel says Belleville clean-up is proceeding smoothlyThe clean-up of hazardous material from an abandoned Nortel Networks Corp. facility in Belleville ON (NL, Mar. 25/02) is going well, the company states. The material is being sent to secure landfills in Carp ON and Quebec. Total Telcom settles case against Monarch CablesystemsEdmonton’s Total Telcom Inc. has settled an outstanding lawsuit against Monarch Cablesystems Ltd. of Medicine Hat AB. In return for cash, Total Telcom has discharged liens and entered into a mutual release with Monarch. Competition Bureau files charges against telemarketersThe Competition Bureau has filed deceptive marketing charges against Janice Gold and Doron Kunin of Montreal’s S.D. Prestige Enterprises and J.C.&A. In another case, James Tetaka was charged for his role in a scheme involving Yellowbusiness.ca, whose director Peter Kuryliw pleaded guilty earlier this year (NL, June 3/02). CRTC denies Northern Telephone DC rate increaseIn Telecom Decision 2002-41, the CRTC turned down a request by Northern Telephone Ltd. to increase its direct connect rate from $0.00370 to $0.00944 per minute. In Telecom Decision 2002-42, the commission directed all LECs to accept a letter of agency as proof of customer consent to transfer service. High-tech triangle to consider marketing cooperationThe Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation is contemplating creating a partnership with the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance. The two agencies would create a tripartite group promoting the high-tech industries in Ottawa, Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo ON. Killer of SaskTel technician gets seven-year sentenceDaniel Tuckanow was sentenced to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to three second-degree murders. One of the victims was John Davies, a SaskTel technician who had been on a service call to the Okanese First Nation near Fort Qu’Appelle SK. Qwest Communications admits $1B in accounting errorsQwest Communications says it has committed "errors" in the way it accounted for transactions since 1999. The Denver-based telco estimates the mistakes total in the range of US$1 billion. WorldCom workers may be shafted on severanceThe bankruptcy of WorldCom may have severe implications for workers who were let go before the Chapter 11 filing on July 21. Under American law, the telecom may pay dismissed employees up to US$4,650, but is not required to. Japanese firms ready to take on major ILECInternet Initiative Japan Inc., a network services provider in Asia, has linked with PoweredCom Inc., an emerging utel, to form a new broadband company. The new firm will be Japan’s fourth-largest wireline company and will be a major competitor to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. British competition agency to investigate termination ratesThe Competition Commission in the United Kingdom is reviewing termination fees charged by incumbent carriers for access to their networks. The agency wants to determine if the charges are set at too high a level. German telco connects Spain to international networkT-Systems, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom Group, has been awarded licences by the Spanish Telecommunications Market Commission to establish a voice and data network in the country. T-Systems will connect Spanish companies to the Telekom Global Net beginning next month. TGN maintains 90 business centres across the world. KPN purchases Dutch component of KPNQwest gridDutch telco KPN has agreed to buy the portion of KPNQwest’s data network that is located in Holland. The company, which co-owned KPNQwest with an American partner, paid "a couple million euros" for the grid, a statement said. KPN added that it is in talks to purchase other parts of the network. France Telecom upgrading voice network for Club MedFrance Telecom has won the contract to supply managed voice services for Club Méditerranée, the operator of tourist resorts worldwide. France Telecom is transforming Club Med’s global infrastructure into a single network, using equipment from Nortel Networks Corp. DSL convention postponed due to economic climateThe DSLCon Fall conference, scheduled for August 13-15 in Washington D.C., has been postponed due to the poor economic conditions in the telecom sector. No new date for the meeting has been established. Blue Cheesehead told not to curse on the phoneRoberta Parrish of La Crosse WI was fined US$95 for leaving an obscene message on her ex-husband’s answering machine. She ran afoul of a state law prohibiting profane language on the telephone.

NL Short Takes

News | August 13, 2002

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