RoW Short Takes

Mitec Telecom sells subsidiary in ThailandMitec Telecom Inc. continues to restructure operations with the goal of focusing on core activities as the Montreal-based equipment maker recently announced the sale of its Thailand subsidiary. Mitec has agreed to sell Microwave Technology Co. to the Thai management team for $1.5 million. Half of the settlement is due upon the closing of the transaction. The sale is expected to close on May 30, 2003. SR Telecom begins to reap rewards of reorganizationMontreal-based SR Telecom Inc. has begun to reap the rewards of its restructuring program, positioning the company for a doubling of revenue over the next four years. At the company’s AGM last week, president and CEO Pierre St-Arnaud told shareholders that the operational, financial and strategic tenets of SR Telecom’s restructuring program have begun to pay off. He highlighted several of the company’s accomplishments including the acquisition of Lucent Technologies’ swing product line, the purchase of certain assets from Nera Telecommunications and the acquisition of CDMA 1xEV-DO technology from Mergy Inc., formerly held by COM DEV International Ltd. St-Arnaud also said that despite weaker Q1 2003 results, 2003 annual revenue will be in line with those of 2002. BOLDstreet Wireless Internet offers free Wi-Fi trialOttawa-based BOLDstreet Wireless Internet is now offering a free trial of its Wi-Fi services to people who buy Proxim’s ORiNOCO Gold PC Card. The agreement with Proxim is part of BOLDstreet’s ongoing strategy to build a broad-based national Wi-Fi network in Canada. The company continues to aggressively pursue new locations for its network. It is targeting primarily hotels, restaurants and other travel related locations. The Lone Star Texas Grill and Big Daddy’s Crab Shack and the Oyster Bar chain of restaurants in the Ottawa and Toronto areas are already equipped to offer the services. The ORiNOCO PC card with five free hours of BOLDstreet service is available for $99.99. Microcell unveils new service and handsetMicrocell Telecommunications Inc. has introduced Sony Ericsson’s T300 handset, a retro-styled device with all the features of newer GPRS handsets. Priced at $175 after a new activation rebate, it is available at all corporate and retail partner locations. The Montreal-based operator has also announced that it is offering a Freeday package, which gives customers free local calls on any one day of the week. For $25 per month, subscribers can use this free day to set up business meetings, coordinate their social life or catch up with family. TeraGo Networks completes network build in GTATeraGo Networks Inc. has completed its high-capacity wireless network in the Greater Toronto Area covering downtown Toronto, Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughn and a portion of Mississauga. In addition to the large GTA coverage, the company has recently added 23 office towers, including the Royal Bank Plaza, the Richmond Adelaide Complex and Waterpark Place. Additionally, the Toronto-based firm has announced that LodgeNet Entertainment (Canada) Corp. has implemented TeraGo’s network to deliver interactive, multimedia entertainment and information services to 11 hotels in three provinces. Palm unveils new handheldsPalm Inc. is bringing multimedia and business capabilities to its popular Zire and Tungsten series of handheld devices. The Zire product is an affordable device, which will incorporate a built-in digital camera and high-resolution colour screen. Estimated resale price of the newest Zire will be approximately $449. The device is ideal for those who like to watch video clips or carry personal photo albums. With an expansion card, users can also listen to MP3 music files. The company’s Tungsten C adds wireless capability allowing users to connect to the fast growing Wi-Fi networks across Canada and the United States. The Tungsten C comes equipped with a 802.11b wireless card, 64 MB of memory, a 320X320 transreflective display as well as other applications including email and documents to go for managing Microsoft Corp.’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Bayly to deploy E911 systemBayly Communications Inc. has been selected by Yorkville Telephone Cooperative in West Tennessee to help deploy an enhanced 911 (E911) system. Yorkville is deploying the system to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s 2005 deadline for providing E911 capabilities. Bayly will supply its OMNIBranch and OMNIFlex digital cross connects to consolidate traffic on Yorkville’s T1 circuits. The unused bandwidth will then be used to backhaul traffic from the E911 location sensor to the server. Wireless Matrix signs contract with AMRCalgary-based Wireless Matrix Corp. has inked an agreement with American Medical Response to provide enhanced wireless communication services to its fleet of paramedics, EMTs and other professionals. AMR will deploy Wireless Matrix’s mobile base station product in each of its vehicles, which provides satellite, terrestrial and wireless LAN access as well as GPS location tracking. Initial trials of Wireless Matrix’s product were conducted in Modesto CA. Agilent introduces new EDA softwareAgilent Technologies Inc. has introduced an updated version of its electronic design automation (EDA) software used for the development of power amplifiers. The Advanced Design System (ADS 2003A) is equipped with features that automates certain design steps, which speed time to market by eliminating previous time-consuming stages. U of Toronto lab installs 3Com wireless gearThe University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) has deployed a wireless network from 3Com to increase laboratory productivity. Researchers and students can now be mobile when working within the confines of the lab. The IBBME has purchased four wireless LAN access points in addition to wireless PCMCIA cards for each student and researcher. CSI Wireless receives U.S. government orderCSI Wireless Inc., Calgary, has received a $3-million order for its MBX-3S differential GPS receiver from 3-D Marketing, which is selling DGOPS systems to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal departments and agencies. 3-D Marketing will use CSI Wireless’ receiver as the source of its Configuration 1 DGPS System. Semiconductor Insights launches new programOttawa-based Semiconductor Insights has launched its new Patent Development Service (PDS), a complement to the company’s existing IPinsights portfolio that includes licensing and patent due diligence. "To derive the maximum value from patenting, companies need to understand their inventions in the context of their business strategy and the external technology and patent landscape," the company wrote in a news release. Sierra Wireless releases AirCard for Chinese marketVancouver-based Sierra Wireless Inc. has released its AirCard 750 for the Chinese market as part of a new bundled product offering for the Far East market. Other parts of the bundle include IBM Corp.’s ThinkPad T40 notebook series. The new bundled product offering will allow companies to more easily travel and stay connected to vital corporate information. SAMSys Technologies signs another VAR agreementSAMSys Technologies Inc. has inked a value-added reseller (VAR) agreement with RSI ID Technologies, a supplier of auto ID systems. The agreement builds on SAMSys’ considerable effort in expanding its reach into other major geographic markets. The VAR agreement gives SAMSys access to the Mexican market. The company’s RFID systems will be used in a variety of industries for shipping and inventory tracking, labeling and scanning. Redline receives investmentToronto-based Redline Communications Inc. has received a US$10-million investment from existing investors. Telemedia Corp. was the lead investor in this round. Redline has previously raised US$14 million.

RoW Short Takes

News | April 29, 2003

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Telecoms want CRTC to adjust service outage reporting, notification requirements

Cogeco, Eastlink get court hearing in appeal of CRTC wholesale access decision

Privacy Commissioner wants to see clearer definitions in Bill C-8

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