NL Update

Big changes in BCE’s executive suiteA decision to remove the wireless unit from the purview of long-time BCE Inc. and Bell Canada executive Pierre Blouin could be the reason he has left the company to pursue "other career opportunities," according to media reports. BCE announced that Blouin had decided to leave his position as group president of consumer market late last week. Kevin Crull has been named president of the newly formed residential services division, while Robert Odendaal was appointed president of Bell Mobility and Bell Distribution Inc. Former Bell Mobility president Alek Krstajic has been named to the Office of the CEO to "assume a new senior executive assignment" that is expected to be made public during this quarter. Is VoIP suited to the student market?This is one of the questions that Network Letter will be answering in its next issue, scheduled for release on September 13. Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. has told Network Letter that it is not pursuing this market at this point. An assessment of the market’s potential from industry analysts as well as comments from Voice over IP providers about the student market will be presented in an in-depth analysis. Cogeco Cable expands IP telephony offeringMontreal-based cable company Cogeco Cable continues to bring its Voice over IP networks service to more customers in its operating territories. The company has announced that service is now available in Saint-Hyacinthe QC and in the Ontario cities of Burlington, Oakville and Windsor. High-speed Internet and cable TV subscribers in Saint-Hyacinthe will have to pay $39.99 per month, while Internet-only customers will have to ante up $44.99 per month. Cogeco customers in the three Ontario cities will have to pay $49.99 per month if they subscribe to either cable TV or Internet, while those subscribing to the two services only have to $44.99 per month. "We are confident that new customers subscribing to our Digital Phone service will be fully satisfied and that they will consider Cogeco Cable’s other services, especially since if they subscribe to more than one service, they will save even more," Cogeco Cable’s VP of marketing and sales Ron Perrotta said in a news release. Vonage expanding retail footprintVonage Canada is making it easier for consumers and small businesses to buy Vonage’s Voice over IP services and to this end, the company has inked agreements with Office Depot and CompuSmart. Vonage’s service will be available at 30 Office Depot locations across the country and through its Internet portal www.officedepot.ca, and 35 CompuSmart retail outlets and through its web site at www.compusmart.com. March Networks posts solid first quarter financial resultsOttawa-based March Networks Corp. continues to improve financially following its initial public offering earlier this year (NL, March 16/05), recording nearly $15 million in revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. Q1 revenue was up more than 150% year-over-year compared to $5.8 million posted in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Net earnings for the quarter were $2.8 million compared to a net loss of slightly more than $300,000 in last year’s Q1. Key operational aspects to the quarter were the launch of managed video services; further penetration in the banking sector; and inked relationship with Wabtec Corp. to explore opportunities in the transportation sector. "The company is demonstrating strong organic growth through our existing customer base and we continue to successfully add new enterprise accounts on a quarterly basis," March Networks president and CEO Peter Strom said in a news release." Ottawa Internet security chip maker Seaway acquired by FreescaleFreescale Semiconductor has established an Ottawa presence after it acquired local Internet security chip maker Seaway Networks. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Seaway’s operation will become Freescale’s new Ottawa Technology Center. The Ottawa company originally operated under the Camelot Content Technologies moniker, and was formed by 13 former Nortel Networks employees. "This acquisition aligns Seaway’s content-processing expertise, technology and products with Freescale’s communications processor roadmap," said David Perkins, senior VP of Freescale and general manager of Freescale’s Networking and Computing Systems Group. "Seaway's strong technical team and intellectual property assets complement and add value to our dataplane strategy, enabling us to enhance our technology leadership and momentum in the networking equipment market." REGULATORY BRIEFS CRTC denies Air Cadets application against TELUSThe Royal Canadian Air Cadets 828 Hurricane Squadron won’t be allowed to have two individual telephone lines billed at residential rates, following a determination from the CRTC. The Air Cadets brought an application against TELUS in April 2005 seeking the right of qualifying non-profit societies to have two individual lines billed at rates similar to residential customers. The commission ruled that the revenue impact would be significant to TELUS, and therefore denied the application. Commission appoints Welch as contribution administratorThe CRTC has appointed Welch Fund Administration Services Inc. as administrator for the National Contribution Fund for another three years. The new term begins on Jan. 1, 2006.

NL Update

News | 09/06/2005 4:00 am EDT

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