ROW Update

Industry Canada announces availability of PCS spectrumIndustry Canada is now accepting applications for unassigned or returned PCS spectrum. The bandwidth covers primarily rural areas of Canada. The department has set aside the next year to license the spectrum with the first assessment date being September 16. It is expected that Industry Canada will only need to license the spectrum on a first-come first-serve basis, but if demand exceeds supply the spectrum will be licensed under a competitive process. Report on Wireless will have further details in an upcoming issue. Si3 Witness debuts wireless security systemCalgary-based Si3 Witness Inc. has secured the rights to new security technology that allows home or business owners to take pictures of criminals and send them wirelessly to a remote database. “Users of the technology will have access to the pictures so fast the crime might still be in progress,” claims the company in a July 12 news release. The company expects the technology to be popular with anyone who wants to protect property in warehouses, homes or automobiles. “Si3 is changing the way security systems perform. We believe that an immediate picture taken of a thief is the maximum deterrent to that thief, and the highest form of safety to us as customers. If I’m a cab driver, I want one. If I’m a homeowner with children, I want one,” Si3 president Brian Storey said. Rogers Wireless makes Fefe Dobson single available exclusively to subscribersAn agreement between Rogers Wireless Inc. and Universal Music Canada allowed subscribers of the wireless operator to be the first to download Fefe Dobson’s latest single, “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head”, to their cell phones. Earlier this year, Rogers Wireless became the first wireless carrier to offer its subscribers access to full-length music track downloads to their cell phones. The exclusive download deal covered the week of July 12. Canada’s health officer says limit youth use of cell phonesDavid Butler-Jones, head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, told a World Health Organization (WHO) conference this month that Canadians, and especially young Canadians, should limit their cell phone use. He said during his presentation that it’s not yet understood whether there are adverse health effects from prolonged exposure to cell phones. The WHO is exploring a public health policy called a “precautionary approach” that would allow member countries to adopt when there is scientific uncertainty as to the potential health effects of particular technology. Moneris demonstrates chip-based payment with VisaCredit and debit card payment services company Moneris Solutions Corp. has successfully demonstrated a financial transaction using chip-based technology. The trial was conducted as part of Visa Canada’s Chip Migration Program. Credit cards, with embedded chips, in conjunction with chip reader point-of-sale terminals will replace the swipe and signature used in current credit card transactions. A user would be required to enter a PIN number as opposed to signing the credit card authorization slip. “Chip technology will ensure the future integrity of electronic payments providing cardholders and merchants with significant benefits, enhanced security, and greater piece of mind,” Visa Canada president Derek Fry said in a news release. Hip Interactive in receivershipVideo game content company Hip Interactive Corp. has entered into receivership, following the inability to get third-party financial relief and that “the company no longer has sufficient cash available to it to pay its liabilities as they come due.” Ernst & Young has been appointed interim receiver. The company and its subsidiaries will carry on operations during the receivership. “At this time, it is not clear the level of recovery that the company’s unsecured creditors will realize; although it is not expected that the company’s shareholders will receive any proceeds of such liquidation,” reads a July 11 news release. INTERNATIONAL NEWSMore wireless subscribers in U.S. than wirelinesCTIA-The Wireless Association notes that at the end of 2004 there were more wireless subscribers than there were combined ILEC and CLEC switched local lines. According to figures released by the Federal Communications Commission on July 11, there were 181.1 million wireless subscribers compared to 178 combined ILEC and CLEC switched local telephone lines. “Why has wireless taken off as it has? Because public policy got it right. It let consumers set the marketplace by choosing their preferred means of communications. The more of wireless they get, the more they like and the more they want, and the industry is responding with new products and services that continue giving Americans even more choices,” CTIA president and CEO Steve Largent said in a news release. Third pay-as-you-go option for Virgin US subscribersVirgin Mobile USA has introduced its third pay-as-you-go wireless package, offering customers the chance to pay monthly. Dubbed Month2Month, the service starts as $29.99 per month, offering subscribers 300 minutes of airtime. This latest payment package follows the Day2Day, which charges subscribers 35 cents per day to get a 10 cent per minute plan. The Minute2Minute package offers users 25 cents per minute for the first 10 minutes and then the rate decreases to 10 cents per minute for the rest of the day.

ROW Update

News | July 19, 2005

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