NL Update

CRTC orders 911 functionality for VoIP providersThe CRTC has ordered Internet voice providers to offer emergency calling functionality equivalent to that offered by incumbent telephone companies in their territory. VoIP providers, which offer nomadic services, are required within three months to implement a solution that mirrors that offered by the ILEC whether that be 911 or E911. Providers, which offer their subscribers out-of-exchange telephone numbers, are required to implement an interim solution at least comparable to basic 911 within 90 days. The full decision can be found here. TELUS appeals winback rulesTELUS Corp. has filed a Part VII with the CRTC asking it to repeal the winback restrictions in Calgary, following the launch of Shaw Communications’ Voice over IP offering. The western incumbent telephone company says the entry of cablecos into the telephony market changes the game and ILECs should be able to compete against them in an open and competitive market. Network Letter will have more on the application in an upcoming issue. Vidéotron expands local telephony to LavalVidéotron ltée has announced that Laval residents can now get local telephone service from the cable TV provider. The company launched local telephony services earlier this year in several regions of the province. Vidéotron has, however, a new competitor in its home territory as Bell Canada has introduced VoIP services. Network Letter will have more on Bell’s VoIP launch in an upcoming issue. Nortel solution chosen by U.S. Department of DefenseThe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is implementing equipment and services from Nortel Networks Corp. as a way to enhance its communications network, support introduction of new applications, and improve control and responsiveness in times of crisis. Nortel and DoD’s Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) have designed a product that will enhance existing communications equipment, allowing DISA to move from a circuit-switched to a packet-based environment. Nortel federal solutions president Chuck Saffell said in a news release, “Nortel worked closely with DoD to custom design a solution that would support mission-critical communications while reducing operational costs and increasing the efficient use of the existing infrastructure.” OneConnect and RAMTelecom partner on VoIPRAMTelecom has announced that OneConnect is the company’s partner of choice for its VoIP over satellite offering. OneConnect president Ron Dekker said, “Business in rural and remote Canada will have access to the most competitive and industry leading IP-solutions.” With the partnership, OneConnect will provide technology and multimedia applications to RAMTelecom. “Our new VoIP service is positioned to support customers who require reliable IP based voice services in a satellite environment,” said Ralph Misener, president and CEO of RAMTelecom. “VoIP over satellite has become a high demand application for markets such as the oil and gas, large and medium enterprises, and government.”New TELUS security products for government, businessTELUS has launched three new security services for the business and government markets. The company says the new offerings are in response to the Auditor General’s report highlighting the need for increased vigilance in information security by federal departments due to the ever increasing online security threat. The products are called Distributed Denial of Service, Intrusion Prevention Service, and Secure Socket Layer VPN. Distributed Denial of Service is hardware-based and monitors customer network traffic and destroys anomalies before they affect the user’s service. Intrusion Prevention Service insulates a network against external attacks. Secure Socket Layer VPN eliminates the need for client software deployment, costly maintenance and desktop support via the Internet. Ontario government asks Bell and Entourage to return to table Bell Canada, Entourage Technology Solutions, and the Communications Energy and Paperworkers of Canada (CEP) have returned to the negotiating table at the urging of Ontario provincial mediator. The two sides are scheduled to resume negotiations to resolve the current labour dispute on April 4. Entourage technicians went on strike March 24 after eight days of negotiation with Bell didn’t produce a resolution. Bell Canada senior VP Ellen Malcolmson said, “We look forward to a prompt, productive negotiations,” and added, “All parties have a joint interest in working towards tabling an offer to the Entourage employees as soon as possible.”Media5 gets $2.9 million loan from EDAMedia5 Corporation, has been given a $2.9 million loan from the Economic Development Agency of Canada (EDC). This will allow the company’s subsidiaries to speed up IP telephony development and marketing. Media5 technology branch head Norman Rae said that with the additional financial support, “we will be able to improve our international position on the booming market for multimedia applications over IP.”Vonage Canada adds service for easier switchoverVonage Canada has added local number portability (LNP) to its VoIP offerings, a move the company expects will accelerate consumer adoption of digital phone service in Canada. The product allows customers to transfer their existing phone numbers to Vonage Canada’s 14 local service markets. Vonage Canada VP, marketing and business development Joe Parent said in a news release, “LNP makes it easier than ever for Canadians” to “‘cut the cord’ without losing their valued phone number.”Burntsand gets contract extension with major U.S. manufacturerBurntsand received an extension on a previously announced contract with a major publicly traded U.S. manufacturer. Burnstand is supposed to deliver services for the next phase of an enterprise content management (ECM) system. The contract extension is valued at $785,000 in integration services. The original contract was signed in November 2003. CANARIE invites RFPs for UCLP CANARIE Inc. is inviting RFPs to produce an easier to use version of user controlled lightPath software to be deployed on the CA*net 4 network, which was developed in 2003-2004. RFP respondents can be from either public or private sector. According to guidelines, RFP budgets shouldn’t exceed $1 million, and the maximum allocation to any single applicant isn’t expected to be any more than $500,000. Raritan Computer supports OPMA developed by AMDRaritan Computer Inc. has announced its support for the Open Platform Management Architecture (OPMA), a product developed by AMD in collaboration with industry partners, including Raritan Computer and its OEM business unit, Peppercorn AG. The specification will benefit server OEMs and motherboard manufacturers by providing an interface standard for embedded system management. The new platform is supposed to be a more cost-effective solution for IT organizations.

NL Update

News | April 4, 2005

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