NL Short Takes

Axia hands over SuperNet contract to Bell WestAxia NetMedia Corp. renegotiated its contract with the Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Science and with Bell West concerning the rollout of the SuperNet network. Axia is pulling out of its subcontract with Bell West but will continue to provide network design and other services with the provincial government. The Calgary company also announced that it has sold 10% of its subsidiary Axia Broadband Services Ireland Ltd. to a division of the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society Ltd. IAWS is paying $3.2 million for its stake and has the option to increase its ownership to 40%. Call-Net Enterprises amends shareholder rights planCall-Net Enterprises Inc. has authorized a change to its shareholder rights plan that lifts the prescribed percentage of beneficial ownership of common shares from 10% to 15%. Its American cousin Sprint Corp. has agreed to pay out US$50 million to shareholders and to strengthen its board of directors in order to settle two stockholder lawsuits. Primus wins one, loses one on PIC Part VII filingPrimus Telecommunications Canada Inc.’s Part VII request to adopt Bell Canada’s primary inter-exchange carrier processing rates for all ILECs was denied by the CRTC in Telecom Decision 2003-19. The commission did agree to review the PIC rates in Telecom Public Notice 2003-2. Sympatico looking at faster DSL speedsRumours on the Internet suggest Bell Canada is going to boost its high-speed edition of Sympatico from 1 Mbps downloads to 1.5 Mbps. Bell confirms it is conducting trials but will add no more details. Vidéotron settles 10-month labour disputeVidéotron ltée has reached an agreement in principle with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. No details have been released pending ratification, but both sides hope the deal will put an end to an often violent 10-month walkout. Northwestel extends services to Fort Fitzgerald in AlbertaNorthwestel is making its first foray into Alberta, offering service to the remote community of Fort Fitzgerald. The move is a result of a CRTC directive issued in Telecom Decision 2003-9 (NL Update, Mar. 3/03). Canada Payphone signs deal with TelusCanada Payphone Corp. has inked a three-year national LD agreement with Telus Corp. The new deal builds on a previously signed operator service agreement between the two B.C.-based firms. Torstar takes total control of toronto.comTorstar Corp. has bought the 50% stake that Sympatico Inc. held in the toronto.com portal. The newspaper publisher will now own 100% of the web site. NATI cautiously optimistic about government action on xwaveThe Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI) says a recent announcement between the provincial government and xwave bodes well for the local high-tech industry. It warns that the government must still protect an $87-million contract it has with the Aliant subsidiary, which is currently up for sale (NL, Feb. 10/03). Manitoba seeking European input to track pedophilesOfficials from Child Find Manitoba have travelled to Cambridgeshire, UK to gain more insight into the tracking of Internet child stalkers. The Internet Watch Foundation has been operating in Britain since 1996 to weed out illegal and offensive information on the web. Elections Canada considering online voter registrationElections Canada has unveiled a series of measures it hopes will encourage young people to take part in the democratic process. Among the proposals is online voter registration, with the government agency expecting to have a system in place by the end of the year that permits voters to confirm whether they are registered and to download registration forms. WorldCom Canada introduces webcasting productWorldCom Canada has unveiled a new Internet service. WorldCom Event Webcasting allows business clients to carry internal and external meetings over the telco’s IP network. VendTek subsidiary sells 100 POS terminals to Go PrepaidVancouver’s VendTek Systems Inc. subsidiary Now Prepay Corp. has sold 100 POS terminals and licences to Go Prepaid Inc. The system permits the sale of renewable cards for LD and wireless service. Versatel Networks unveils partnership for prepaid marketVersatel Networks Inc. of Gatineau QC has introduced a reseller program for application developers in the prepaid market. Early partners in the plan are Compro Technologies, Global Technologies, Heritage Communications Corp., PhoenixSoft and Tangerine Inc. AT&T Canada division joins with eAssistMontage.DMC has formed an alliance with eAssist Global Solutions Inc. to deliver multimedia contact centre products in Canada. Montage.DMC is a subsidiary of AT&T Canada Inc. Canadians spend more time online than AmericansA new survey by comScore Media Metrix Canada shows Canadians have adopted broadband to a greater degree than Americans. The share of total online population is 53.6% here compared to 33.8% south of the border, with Canadians spending 101.5 average minutes online per day versus 95.7 in the United States. Smart cards help users at Newfoundland Internet sitesA pilot project has been unveiled in St. John’s NL that will allow seniors, new Canadians, people with disabilities or literacy problems better access to community access Internet sites. The Web-4-All technology uses a smart card that lets users configure public access computers to suit their individual needs. Kingston 911 system victim of abuseOfficials in Kingston ON report abuse of its 911 system. Among the complaints being registered on the emergency line are leaky basements, loud music and a woman who said her husband made her wear a nightgown without underwear. American court may toss Canadian hacker’s testimonyThe case of a California Superior Court judge charged with possessing child pornography has hit a snag after a court ruled a B.C. hacker was acting as a police informant. Brad Willman of Langley wrote a Trojan Horse program to entrap judge Ronald Kline. Tissue an issue for Manitoba Telecom Internet workersA report in the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Western Region News says workers at Manitoba Telecom Services’ Internet Support division have been warned not to use toilet paper to blow their noses. A memo to employees warns that adding the cost of more toilet tissue to the cleaning contract could affect the MTS budget.

NL Short Takes

News | 03/24/2003 5:00 am EST

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