NL Update

Aliant invests $30 million in broadband networkAliant Inc. has announced plans to spend $30 million to upgrade its broadband network in Atlantic Canada. The company wants to expand its coverage in all four Atlantic provinces. It hopes to have thousands of additional subscribers to its DSL service once deployment is completed.Telus and TWU agree on surplus workers in B.C.Telus Corp. and the Telecommunications Workers Union have reached an agreement on surplus workers in the British Columbia cities of Prince George, Victoria and Kelowna. The clerks in the three offices are eligible for a buyout package or can transfer to jobs in the Vancouver office. There is also a restricted canvass for Prince George and Victoria.SaskTel inks deal with Nortel for VoIP gearNortel Networks Corp. has sold a portfolio of multimedia communications and VoIP equipment to SaskTel. The telco hopes to deploy various services such as email, file sharing, and videoconferencing on a single session. The deal is worth US$5 million.Sprint Canada renews agreement with Quebec health groupSprint Canada Inc. has renewed a $2.6-million deal with Approvisionnements - Montréal santé et services sociaux for LD, toll free service and calling cards. The two-year contract will see Sprint provide the services to 1,000 health and social service groups in the province. The telco also announced its VPN product has been certified by Cisco Systems.CRTC amends two decisions The CRTC has issued amended decisions correcting errors in earlier rulings. Telecom Decision 2003-11-1 updates the service basket assignment under the price cap regime. Telecom Decision 2003-13-1 corrects the rates for competitor services.Bell Canada introduces new parental controls on InternetBell Canada has unveiled a new filtering system for its high-speed and dial-up Internet customers. The Parental Control service uses equipment from Zero-Knowledge Systems of Montreal. Bell is initially offering the service free to its subscribers.Canada contributes $300 million to rebuild IraqThe federal government has earmarked $300 million to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq following the recent war. Although most of the contracts for rebuilding will be administered by the American government, the Canadian embassy in Washington expects some sub-contracts will be given to Canadian firms. New telecommunications infrastructure will be needed in the Arab nation.Ontario provides money for university high-tech researchCommunications and Information Technology Ontario is coordinating efforts to fund high-tech research in Ontario universities. The government agency is kicking in $320,000 while private industry is providing $407,000 in cash and services. CITO is also awarding $30,000 in scholarships to six students.CANARIE sings a new tune with high-speed gridCANARIE Inc. and its partners are giving MusicPath $365,000 in funding to deliver music education over the Internet. Two acoustic pianos will be connected through CANARIE’s CA*net 4 backbone. Other partners include Acadia University, The Royal Conservatory of Music, and Yamaha Music Canada Ltd.INTERNATIONAL NEWSMCI pays record fine to settle chargesMCI has paid US$500 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges regarding fraud undertaken when it was operating under the WorldCom name. “As big as the fine is, it’s almost irrelevant because it’s just a matter of zeros,” American telecom analyst Jeff Kagan remarked. “The real story here is that MCI has successfully put this enormous hurdle and distraction behind them.” On the other hand, Mitch Marcus of the BoycottMCI.com web site denounced the move as “another in a series of slap-n-the wrist actions by the Commission.”Alcatel donates equipment to SARS fightFrench equipment maker Alcatel has donated $200,000 worth of communications gear to hospitals in Beijing to battle SARS. Doctors, patients and families will use the equipment. It is part of a larger effort involving the company’s wireless networks in China. ITU to hold workshop on e-governmentThe International Telecommunication Union will host a workshop on e-government in Geneva on June 5-6. The group will examine challenges to online democracy and work on standardization issues. It is hoping for public and private sector input in the conference.

NL Update

News | 05/26/2003 4:00 am EDT

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