NL Update

Allstream launches VoIP access serviceAllstream announced on July 7 the launch of its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony service. Dubbed VoIP Access, the service allows service providers to penetrate local residential and small office/home office markets utilizing Allstream’s extensive network infrastructure. Allstream is advertising VoIP Access as the first service in Canada to offer full ancillary services, including 911, 711, 411, local number portability and operator services to VoIP service providers. Rogers to unveil Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet service tomorrowRogers Cable Inc. will unveil details of the Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet Service, a new integrated broadband Internet service, tomorrow at its Toronto offices. Rogers and Yahoo! announced a multi-year alliance in January 2004 and now six months later, Rogers states they “have developed a service that will change the customer’s Internet experience.” Rogers Cable president and CEO Edward Rogers, Rogers Cable VP of strategy and development Michael Lee, and Yahoo! Inc. senior VP of broadband and mobile services Doug Garland will make the announcement.CRTC finds Aliant Telecom didn’t violate bundling rulesThe CRTC has ruled that Aliant Telecom Inc. has not breached bundling rules as alleged by EastLink (Telecom Decision 2004-44). The commission in its July 7 ruling therefore “denies EastLink’s request that Aliant Telecom cease offering its value packages until it has filed a tariff.” The CRTC found that while Aliant Telecom’s value packages that include its high-speed Internet service require a DSL-capable line, they are not dependent on subscription to the company’s local telephone service. The CRTC considers that Aliant’s value packages are available on a stand-alone basis and are not grouped together under a single rate or rate structure with its local service. In its Part VII complaint, EastLink asserted that because there is no local exchange competitor offering DSL capable lines in Aliant territory that customers had to purchase the telco’s local exchange service in order to receive its high-speed Internet service. Number of Canadians surfing the Internet on riseThe number of Canadian households surfing the Internet continued to grow in 2003, with an estimated 7.9 million (64%) of the 12.3 million Canadian homes having at least one member who used the Internet regularly, according to Statistics Canada. The figure represents a 5% increase from 2002, but is well below the annual gains of 19% and 24% recorded in 2000 and 2001. Internet use was the highest at home, with 6.7 million households having at least one member who regularly used the Internet from home, a gain of 7% from 2002. Of the nearly 6.7 million households with a regular user from home in 2003, an estimated 4.4 million (65%) had a high-speed link to the Internet through either a cable or telephone connection, up 56% from a year earlier. More and more Internet users reported using the Internet to search for medical or health-related information or to use online banking services, while fewer reported downloading music.The data is derived from the Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS), which is a subset of Statistic Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Data gathered in January 2004 covered household Internet use for the 2003 calendar year. There were 23,113 respondents to the survey.Canada Post’s epost acquires BCE Emergis’ webdoxs serviceCanada Post’s epost announced July 8 that EPO Inc. has acquired BCE Emergis’ online bill delivery service, webdoxs, for $14.5 million. Canada post through its epost division will combine the existing epost and webdoxs business-to-consumer services to provide Canadians with a single, electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) service. BCE Emergis closes sale of its eSecurity practice to Bell CanadaBCE Emergis announced July 5 that it closed the sale of its eSecurity practice and the remaining intellectual property under its agreement to Bell Canada for $45 million. The price includes a fee for the early termination of the Bell Legacy Contract, under which Bell Canada provided it with Internet services. Also, BCE Emergis and Bell Canada signed a five-year reciprocal preferred supplier agreement. The transactions were initially announced on May 6 in connection with the sale of BCE Inc.’s interest in BCE Emergis. That sale was completed on June 16.Canada lagging behind U.S. in fight against software piracy: studyAbout 35% of software applications in Canada were pirated in 2003, compared to 22% in the United States, according to the annual global software piracy study released July 7 by the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST) and the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The study indicates that software piracy has resulted in about $990 million in lost retail sales of software in Canada. In comparison to global trends, Canada’s software piracy rate of 35% is only slightly below the worldwide software piracy rate of 36%. An average of over 80 spam emails received daily: ILAPAn average email account receives about 80 pieces of spam each day, compared to eight legitimate emails per day, the Internet Light and Power (ILAP) announced July 7. ILAP, an Internet service provider for businesses, collected the spam statistics through its anti-spam firewall over the past year. Less spam was received over the weekend. ITU WSIS meeting agrees on series of actions to curb spamParticipants at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) SWIS meeting on countering spam that wrapped up July 9 agreed on some actions needed to curb spam. There was a consensus on the need to adopt a multi-track approach that incorporates strong legislation against spam combined with technical solutions, consumer education, industry self-regulation and international cooperation. The meeting was designed to launch a global effort that can ultimately lead to the eradication of spam. “Spam has grown into a major plague affecting the digital world,” said Robert Horton, acting chair of the Australian Communications Authority and chair of the meeting. “We are facing a global epidemic which can only be combated through a global and concerted action.”Creditors’ meeting adjourned as Canada Payphone Corp. continues negotiationsThe creditors’ meeting for Canada Payphone Corp. has been adjourned until August 12 as the company continues negotiations with its creditors. The company announced in a series of news releases in April and May that it intended to file a Notice of Intention to make a proposal for the benefit of its creditors under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada). The company filed its restructuring plan proposal on June 16. At a creditors’ meeting on July 9 the creditors agreed to adjourn the meeting until August.

NL Update

News | 07/12/2004 4:00 am EDT

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