RoW Update

Industry Canada to license unassigned PCS spectrumIndustry Canada announced on November 7 that it was moving ahead with a plan to license spectrum unassigned during the 2001 PCS spectrum auction. The department will license the 10 spectrum blocks in one of either two ways: on a first-come first-served basis if supply exceeds demand or via an auction where demand exceeds supply. Should the department need to proceed with an auction, it will use a simplified and streamlined process. BCE fights back against asymmetrical regulation of telecom and cableBCE Inc. has had enough of “asymmetrical” regulation of the telecommunications and cable industries and filed an application with the CRTC on November 6 asking it to review current bundling policies. Bell is calling on the commission to “initiate a public hearing to determine the best means to establish symmetry of regulation of the telephony/television/Internet bundles. The hearing should address whether regulatory approval is required, and if it is required, what criteria must be satisfied, and what if any restrictions should be imposed on the marketing of the bundle.” Commission denies Rogers Wireless application on LD call terminationThe CRTC has denied a Rogers Wireless Inc. application asking the commission to force Telus Communications Inc. to use two-way trunk termination methods to terminate long distance calls (Telecom Decision 2003-76). The commission says in the decision, however, that using two-way trunking methods is a superior service and is more cost-effective than one-way trunking. Therefore, the CRTC directs Telus to show cause within 20 days why a tariff for this service shouldn’t be filed. It also directs the company to file a proposed tariff for the service. Microcell posts strong subscriber additions in Q3Microcell Telecommunications Inc. has stopped bleeding subscribers and for the first time in three quarters posted positive net subscriber growth of more than 41,000. But for the nine-month period ending September 30, Microcell lost about 27,000 subscribers, the company reports in its Q3 financial results. Even with net additions in Q3 and the upcoming Christmas rush in Q4, it’s unclear whether Microcell will be able to hit its target of 100,000 net additions for the entire FY 2003. Industry leaders to explore Canada’s Wi-Fi and WLAN landscape at conferenceIndustry stakeholders, futurists, consultants and analysts will explore the future of the Wi-Fi and wireless local area network business at Wi-FiPower 2004 next March. Speakers will delve into the overall challenges facing the industry, including technology and standards, business models, security, and factors for successful implementation. The eCustomer World Institute, which aims to assist businesses to become more profitable and more competitive through the use of innovative technology, has organized the conference. Intel Canada recently joined as a sponsor for the event, which will be held March 1 to 3, 2004. Rogers Wireless teams up with WebMed technologyRogers Wireless Inc. has teamed up with WebMed Technology Inc. to deploy a wireless patient care system throughout Fraser Health’s organization. The system, Pixalere, is a remote medical diagnosis application that allows home care nurses to transmit patient reports and digital photos using wirelessly enabled PDAs and tablet computers. WebMed collaborated with Rogers Wireless through its Mobile Data Alliance program, which proactively works with solution providers, applications developers and device manufacturers to deliver innovative wireless data applications and services to several industry sectors. SAMSys and LXE strive to boost RFID supply chainSAMSys Technologies Inc. and LXE Inc. have joined forces to help boost its RFID supply chain offering. SAMSys’ RFID readers will be demonstrated in conjunction with LXE’s rugged forklift mounted computers. “The combination of our MP9320 reader and LXE’s VX4 rugged vehicle mount terminal brings together two critical pieces of technology that will change the way goods are tracked and data is collected,” SAMSys chair and CEO Cliff Horwitz said in a news release. 3COM releases tri-mode wireless LAN access points3COM Canada has introduced new wireless local area network (LAN) access points with integrated tri-mode capabilities. The access points offer 802.11a/b/g functionality, giving enterprise customers the ability to provide service for all three wireless LAN standards. An analyst with the Yankee Group says 3COM’s new products address the key issue of technology migration. “The ability to upgrade easily and cost-effectively migrate to the latest technology is a weakness of current Wi-Fi systems. According to Yankee Group’s Business WLAN Survey 2003, only 50% of WLAN-enabled organizations were very or somewhat satisfied with the ability to upgrade their wireless LANs. 3Com's new products address this issue by integrating the three Wi-Fi standards into a single platform,” said Sarah Kim, analyst at the Yankee Group, in a news release. INTERNATIONAL NEWS FCC chair reaffirms commitment to rural wireless broadbandMichael Powell, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to making sure wireless broadband can succeed in rural and remote regions of the United States. In a speech to the FCC Rural Wireless ISP Showcase and Workshop on November 4, Powell mentioned recent FCC activities in this area. He talked about a proceeding seeking new rules to minimize regulatory costs and incentives to serve rural markets and another on power limits for smart antennas. “And our work continues. We recently completed our 3G proceeding and will conclude our rulemaking to make additional spectrum available at 5GHz. In addition, we will soon conclude a proceeding to reform the MMDS/IFTS spectrum to reflect the current marketplace and technological capabilities,” he said during his speech. FCC releases fact sheet on wireless LNPThe Federal Communications Commission released last week a fact sheet clarifying some of the issues surrounding wireless local number portability (LNP). The fact sheet explains the process consumers should take when they decide to switch providers and highlights what consumers should expect during the number porting process.

RoW Update

News | November 10, 2003

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News | November 10, 2003

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Rogers, T-Mobile bring satellite service to U.S. roaming customers

CENGN partners with Ericsson to open new living lab in Quebec

Cogeco revenue falls in Q2, despite strong Canadian numbers

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