NL Short Takes

TELUS and TWU settle long-standing labour disputeTELUS Corp. and the Telecommunications Workers Union have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a four-and-a-half year-old labour dispute. The announcement October 10 followed TELUS CEO Darren Entwhistle recent decision to get personally involved in renewed negotiations. The five-year agreement has now been turned over to the union’s members for ratification. The TWU is recommending that its members accept the offer. Further information regarding the contract will not be available until it is ratified by the TWU’s membership expected later this month. "Subject to ratification, this memorandum of settlement concludes the five-year process of merging six separate collective agreements into one. The tentative contract covers a national bargaining unit of approximately 14,000 employees, predominantly located in British Columbia and Alberta," reads a news release. Both the company and union leadership were bullish on the new collective bargaining agreement. "We now have a significant opportunity to move forward with an agreement that recognizes our team members’ tremendous contributions and provides TELUS with the flexibility needed to continue our leadership position in a highly competitive market," Entwhistle said in a news release. TWU president Brice Bell added, "We are recommending ratification to our members and will be conducting a ratification vote which is expected to be completed by October 23. I believe ratification will allow the TWU, its members and TELUS to focus on our collective future." The two sides waged what was at times an ugly battle with both accusing the other of bargaining in bad faith. The union suggested in an interview with Network Letter earlier this year that the company was bent on outsourcing unionized call centre work offshore. The company, on the other hand, claimed the union was being unreasonable and didn’t recognize the flexibility required to compete in a highly competitive market. Vonage inks distribution deal with GracelineVonage Canada continues to expand its distribution channel for its Voice over IP services, inking an agreement with Graceline Canada. Graceline provides consumers with discounted telecom services, often at 50% less than rates offered by traditional telephone companies. "Through this relationship Graceline will be able to enhance their current telecom service offering and provide customers with a number of innovative phone features for a low monthly rate. This agreement is the first of many affinity programs we will be developing in Canada," said Gary McLean, Vonage Canada’s director of sales channels. Industry Canada minister speaks out on forbearanceDavid Emerson, minister of Industry Canada, says the government might remove the regulation forbidding Canada’s incumbent telephone companies from changing prices without prior government approval. The comments were made in an interview with Bloomberg News. Emerson suggested that this would allow the industry to improve its efficiency. The regulatory framework governing the telecommunications industry is currently under review by a panel appointed by Emerson. Bell launches edutainment portal for 3-12 year oldsBell Canada has introduced a new portal for 3- to 12-year-olds. Dubbed kidsmania, the site offers more than 50 interactive edutainment games and activities, featuring popular characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, Caillou, Pajama Sam, Math Missions, Franklin, Cornemuse, and more. "Parents will love the fact that their children are learning in a safe and secure online environment while having fun," Bell Sympatico president Charlotte Burke said in a news release. IP Apps teams with U.S. telcoVancouver-based IP Applications Corp. has inked an agreement with Sage Telecom Inc., amending a previous two-year deal the two companies had. The amendments call for the delivery of network management services to identify and resolve Internet service problems. "The system will also provide Sage with business intelligence to help map future products and services," reads a news release. New hosted IP services released by POPstarPOPstar Communications Inc. has introduced an enhanced suite of hosted IP communications services for the business market. The enhanced IP services come from an investment of US$10 million in both its Enroute messaging and billing platform and its existing hosted PBX product to support new types of services. The enhanced features include auto-attendant, voice mail, directory, call hunt, call forwarding, call transfer, audio conferencing and more. "The demand for hosted and regular IP PBX and messaging services is expected to continue to surge as users gain confidence in what IP telephony can do for their business. We are able to draw on our long standing in the corporate messaging business to offer service bundles that include voice to meet business needs and at a price they can afford, and this, at a time when the use of voice on the corporate network is growing," POPstar director Russ McDermott said in a news release. Students get free long distance from TelehopAll students attending Waterloo, Laurier and Guelph universities will be able to get free unlimited calling to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) from Telehop Communications Inc. by calling 519-658-5488. Students can use a cell phone, landline or payphone and still get the deal. There is a catch, however, and that is students will have to listen to some advertising. "Before being connected to their free call with Telehop’s MyWorldTalk service, students will to listen to a short message that will offer then great options for cutting long-distance costs as well as alternative low-cost options for making calls to friends and family around the world," reads a news release. TELUS Comm implements anti-fraud systemTELUS Communications is improving its security measures by deploying Mantas’ new Fraud Management System 3.1. Traditional security platforms protect each network separately, allowing fraudsters to attack weak spots between the various systems. "Mantas’ new release of Fraud Management System effectively plugs these holes, offering a real-time, comprehensive fraud detection, management and deterrence system," reads a news release. Mediagrif opens China office Mediagrif Interactive Technologies Inc. has opened an office in Shenzhen, China, a move the company hopes will only bolster revenues derived from that region. "This local presence will allow us to better support our customers and partners from around the world in increasing their trading activities with our Chinese members," Alain Miquelon, Mediagrif COO, said in a news release. Mediatrix Telecom enhances security of VoIP productsMediatrix Telecom Inc. has announced security upgrades to its Voice over IP access devices and gateways. The company’s products will now support HTTPS. "Support for HTTPS offers greater security for operators by providing an extra layer of encryption for the transfer of data by using the HTTPS protocol," reads a Mediatrix news release. CRTC approves revised procedures for contribution fundThe CRTC has approved revised procedures for the operation of the National Contribution Fund. Telecom Decision 2005-59 approved proposed changes, but also added some of it own due to matters that arose after the applications was filed in December 2004. ICT regulation to be harmonized in West AfricaThe regulators of several West African nations have agreed to create a harmonized regulatory framework for their respective information and communications technologies markets, the International Telecommunications Union announced. Regulators from 15 nations in the region came to the agreement last month during a three-day workshop, chaired by John Tandoh, acting director general and CEO of Ghana’s National Communications Authority. "The agreement marks a significant step forward for West Africa, which is seeking to create a single market based on the European Union model," reads an October 7 news release. More than 100 participants from the majority of the 15 countries participated in the three-day workshop. Representatives from the European Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the private sector also participated in the event. The new regulatory framework favours a market-based approach to the provision of ICT services. It is hoped this approach will spur investment and development and "will prove instrumental in helping propel some of the world’s poorest nations into the information society," reads a news release from the ITU. Tandoh added, "These guidelines are in keeping with international best practices, but tailored to the West African market. They will allow us to think globally, and act locally." Alcatel tops 70 million DSL lines shippedAlcatel SA announced at the Broadband World Forum this month that it had shipped 70 million DSL lines on a cumulative basis to customers worldwide. This represents a 40% increase over the 50 million DSL line level announced at last year’s conference. The company now holds more than three times the market share of its closest competitor. Alcatel notes in a news release that much of this market share has been driven by its intelligent services access manager (ISAM), considered a "true 100% triple-play access platform." The company is gaining considerable traction in Asia where China Telecom, China Netcom and Chunghwa Telecom have selected Alcatel as the partner to transform their broadband access infrastructure. In less than a year, more than 35 customers worldwide have committed to deploy the ISAM product. Ron Westfall, principal analyst with Current Analysis wrote in a report last month, "Alcatel continues to deliver the product innovations and partnerships needed to maintain a competitive edge in the overall DSLAM market. With its massive installed base and unmatched experience in deploying DSL service with Tier 1 carriers across the globe, the overall Alcatel DSL access proposition can be viewed as the most comprehensive on the market." Washington DC suburb gets BPL access servicesCommunications Technologies Inc. (COMTek) has completed deployment of a suburban broadband access network using broadband over powerline (BPL) technology. Considered the first in the United States, the deployment allows the 37,000 residents of Manassas, a suburb of Washington D.C. to get high-speed access using powerlines. COMTek currently has 700 customers, with another 500 requests for service in the queue. According to the company, 12,500 households are within reach of the network, and commercial services are available throughout the city to 2,500 businesses on an on-demand basis. COMTek founder and CEO Joseph Fergus said, "Make no mistake about it: What we are announcing today in Manassas is something that we could be rolling out in a year or two from now in literally scores of communities across the U.S. The Manassas experiment is a good thing for every American who lives in any city or town with little or no access to affordable broadband." Microsoft and RealNetworks settle anti-trust suitMicrosoft Corp. and RealNetworks have come to terms on an anti-trust suit with an agreement that will see the two companies cooperate to compete against rivals Apple in the downloadable music space and Google in the search market. The settlement and partnership is valued at US$761 million.

NL Short Takes

News | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

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