NL Short Takes

Telus, Telecom Workers agree to binding arbitrationTelus Corp. and the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) have agreed to enter into binding arbitration to attempt to settle their stalled contract talks. The move follows a decision from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board that said the telco violated the labour code. The two sides have been negotiating for three years. The union’s membership recently voted 86.3% in favour of giving the union a strike mandate. Telus recently won an injunction from the B.C. Supreme Court forcing the TWU to stop showing ads on the telco’s quality of service. The union ads used many of the same types of animals that Telus features in its advertising. Bell Canada to assume all of Bell West by AugustBell Canada says it will take over total control of Bell West Inc. by August. Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. will receive about $645 million for its 40% stake in the western CLEC. Persona sells operations, is taken private by new ownersPersona Inc. is selling its Canadian cable operations to an investor group made up of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc., TD Capital Canadian Private Equity Partners and CIBC Capital Partners for $406 million. The company, which will no longer be traded publicly, is selling its Barbados division to Persona director Philip Keeping. Cablecos continue to boost high-speed Internet speedsVidéotron ltée announced it will increase the speeds on its high-speed Internet service on April 1 to 4.1 Mbps for downloads and 820 kbps for uploads. Cogeco Cable Inc. is now offering download speeds of 5 Mbps for standard service and 10 Mbps for High-speed Pro, with upload speeds of 640 kbps for standard and 1 Mbps for Pro. Cybersurf seeks third-party access to Shaw InternetCybersurf Corp. has filed a Part VII with the CRTC demanding third-party access to Shaw Cablesystems’ high-speed Internet grid. The Calgary ISP accuses the cableco of not living up to the provisions of Telecom Decision 2003-87 (NL Update, Jan. 12/04). Allstream and Call-Net want CRTC to deny CSA backlogAllstream Corp. and Call-Net Enterprises Inc. have filed a joint Part VII with the CRTC asking the commission not to proceed with a backlog of customer-specific arrangements at Bell Canada. The application is a follow-up to Telecom Decision 2003-63. Allstream unveils Ethernet private line serviceAllstream Corp. has introduced Ethernet private line service, providing high capacity connectivity for business clients. The service offers 1 Gbps speeds within and between Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The telco hopes to add other locations by the end of the year. Bell West brings SuperNet to Red DeerBell West is using its dark fibre to connect the City of Red Deer AB to the Alberta SuperNet grid. The 99 sites being linked include 55 schools, 32 provincial and municipal government offices, 10 health facilities and two libraries. Alcatel sells routing platform to Korea TelecomAlcatel has sold its 7670 Routing Service Platform to Korea Telecom. The product, which allows telcos to deliver multiple MPLS-based services, is made in Alcatel’s Kanata ON plant. Cabletel wins breathing room from lenderLaSalle Business Credit has told Cabletel Communications Corp. that it will not take any action on Cabletel’s outstanding debts until at least February 20. The cable firm must meet certain conditions, which it insists it can. Cabletel is in default on its loans to LaSalle, a division of ABN AMRO Canada N.V. Mamma.com sells its telecom assets to ACE(i)COMMontreal’s Mamma.com Inc. is selling its telecom subsidiary Intasys Billing Technologies to ACE(i)COM Corp. The Maryland company will pay $1.48 million plus earn out provisions of up to $250,000 for Mamma.com’s telecom division. Public interest group files complaint against lobbyistsDemocracy Watch has filed a complaint with the Office of the Ethics Counsellor over lobbyists who donated to the Liberal Party leadership campaigns of Paul Martin, Sheila Copps, or John Manley. Among the contributors targeted are BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. VoiceIQ purchases Aussie transcription companyMarkham ON-based VoiceIQ Inc. has signed a letter of intent to buy Spark & Cannon (WA) Pty. Ltd. and Spark & Cannon (SA) Pty. Ltd., which make up Australia’s largest transcription business. The move should add $20 million to Voice IQ’s annual revenues. Sprint Canada tax issue becomes a marathonGander NL is one of several towns in the province demanding that Sprint Canada pay its back taxes. The CLEC negotiated an agreement with many Newfoundland communities in 2002 but the municipalities say the company has been slow to pay. Lucky Call sends couples on romantic getawayDial-around service Lucky Call is joining with a Calgary radio station to offer a getaway package on Valentine’s Day. Winners can get 200 free LD minutes with grand prizes of trips to Las Vegas or Banff. PEI politico wants connectivity in the provincial legislatureJamie Ballem, the attorney general in Prince Edward Island, is asking for the ability to use the Internet while in the legislature. He says he could check email and surf the Internet during debates, although he stresses he would not use the service during Question Period. SaskTel subsidiary makes sale to Washington authoritiesBusiness Watch International has signed a $1.12-million deal with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments for the creation of a regional pawn transaction sharing system. The system from the SaskTel division will allow pawnshops to report their dealings to local law enforcement agencies. Callers dreaming of Caribbean trip get 911 service insteadPeople entering a contest for a Minneapolis television station somehow got connected to 911 instead. The local phone company is investigating how those hoping to win a Caribbean vacation by dialling 651-989-1111 ended up at the emergency number.

NL Short Takes

News | February 3, 2004

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