ROW Short Takes

Contract questions arise in BGM-CHUM discussionOn a July 12 conference call held to discuss the acquisition of Chum Ltd. by Bell Globemedia (BGM), at least one analyst raised the question of how the deal might affect Chum’s existing wireless partnerships. Tim Casey from BMO Nesbitt Burns asked Chum CEO Jay Switzer how the analyst community should view the existing content and branding relationship Chum’s MuchMusic brand enjoys with Rogers Wireless, when BGM is affiliated with competitor Bell Mobility. Switzer was noncommittal, noting his firm has "hundreds of deals, relationships, strategic alliances, for every product in every category." Casey pressed the issue, asking whether the contractual relationship Chum has with Rogers Wireless might pass to Bell Mobility once it’s up for renewal. "Much of our content is platform-neutral," Switzer answered, noting that MuchMusic ringtones and other mobile media are distributed across all major wireless providers in Canada. While the MuchMusic-branded line of phones sold through Rogers has been a success, he noted it’s been a "small but important" part of Chum’s overall strategy to build a relationship with media consumers on wireless phones. The MuchMusic Edition phone was launched on the Rogers Wireless network in 2004 with a line of phones from Motorola and Nokia which featured special graphics and branding, preloaded ringtones, direct access to pay-per-download MuchMusic content, and other special features. BGM’s takeover bid was announced earlier in the same day. The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approval. Canada’s first streaming mobile radio service from Telus, XMTelus Corp. and XM Canada have launched Telus Mobile Radio, powered by XM Canada. The service is the first to offer Canadians access to real-time streaming satellite radio programming from their mobile phones. Telus Mobile Radio is initially available on the LG 8100 and Samsung A950 phones, while additional Telus wireless phones will support the service in the future. "This Canadian first is the latest addition to Telus’ innovative line-up of Spark entertainment and information services, and another example of Telus meeting our clients’ desire for innovative products and services," said Robert Blumenthal, Telus’ senior VP of products and services in a news release. Telus mobile radio operates on Telus’ wireless high speed and 1X networks and offers live digital streaming radio service, which includes access to 20 stations. Kingston resort wins award for cashless vendingThe Ambassador Conference Resort of Kingston ON was awarded the gold Value Chain Award in the retail/hospitality category as the most successful corporate adopter of M2M (machine to machine/man) technology. A cashless vending system implemented at the Ambassador allows guests to swipe their room key card through the vending machine’s card reader or use any mobile phone to purchase a drink. The award to the Ambassador was for demonstrating the process of combining multiple technologies to improve operations, reduce costs and enhance customer service. A 90-day trial showed 99.9% system reliability, including no instances of attempted vandalism. Bell Canada spearheaded the trial, which was the first in Canada to combine key card and mobile phone technologies. Glentel to buy Digital Mobile SystemsGlentel has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Digital Mobile Systems Inc. Digital Mobile is a wireless solutions provider and Motorola-approved two-way radio service dealer with accredited service centres in the Ontario cities of Hanover, Hamilton, Mississauga and Scarborough. The total purchase price is $2.5 million. "With Digital Mobile Systems and Glentel combining their teams and operations in Ontario, including tower sites and frequencies, this will enable us to deliver an unprecedented depth and breadth of engineered services expertise and wireless mobile radio knowledge to our public safety, government, and business customers in Ontario," said Thomas Skidmore, president and CEO of Glentel, in a news release. ITU, Thuraya step up disaster reliefThe International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company have reached an agreement to provide portable satellite terminals to assist countries in disaster mitigation and relief. Thuraya, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, is contributing handheld satellite terminals and solar chargers, while ITU will pay for airtime at discounted rates and cover the transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster-hit areas. Emergency telecommunications directed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation is a critical area of concern for countries with fragile economies and special needs. "The tsunami that wreaked havoc in Southeast Asia, the Kashmir earthquake, the Suriname floods, and the Indonesia earthquake have demonstrated the power of emergency telecommunications in saving lives and coordinating efforts during rescue operations such as the setting up of telemedicine links," said ITU secretary-general Yoshio Utsumi in a press release. TrueContext launches Human Factors LabOttawa-based TrueContext, a technology provider for the Rogers mForms on demand mobile forms service, has launched its Human Factors Lab. The new centre will spearhead the continuous improvement of the usability of mobile enterprise applications and will validate user requirements by holding various focus groups and conduct usability testing. "The Human Factors Lab is a critical driver for the future growth of this company," said Jeff Lindauer, CEO of TrueContext, in a media release. "We already know that usability has a tremendous impact on whether or not mobile deployments are a success, so we want to make that experience as seamless and efficient as possible. By using research to continually enhance the user experience, we’ll be able to offer even better products that see greater demand, quicker adoption, improved customer satisfaction, and faster ROI." Telus expands wireless high-speed serviceAs of July 4 residents and visitors of Victoria BC have had access to Telus’ wireless high speed service, including Internet, email and other multimedia applications at broadband-like speeds. Typical download speeds for the service are approximately 400 to 700 kbps, with maximum speeds of more than 2 Mbps. "By uniting the broadband-like speed of our wireless high speed network with the newest portable computing and entertainment devices, Telus is providing clients with the most powerful mobile data solutions available," said Robert Blumenthal, Telus’ senior VP of products and services in a news release. Wireless high speed is based on the CDMA 1xEVDO standard. Businesses already adopting 3G services: In-StatHigh-tech market research firm In-Stat reports that almost 5% of employees in US companies have already adopted 3G services and an additional 15% to 20% would be likely to do so. The In-Stat survey of more than 1,000 business users revealed that companies with 100 to 1,000 employees have the greatest penetration of wireless among their workforces and spend the most on mobile communication. Other findings from the study include: current usage of mobile email devices is under 15%, but 30% of those surveyed said they would like to use one; average monthly spending among Wi-Fi users is about $40 per month; and about 10% of respondents who have monthly Wi-Fi subscriptions also use pay-per-usage hotspots. Pakistan border control network to use Redline productsProducts from Toronto-based broadband wireless equipment provider Redline Communications have been chosen by PAK Datacom Ltd., Pakistan’s largest data network operator, for a national security undertaking being implemented throughout Pakistan. Redline’s AN-50e wireless backhaul and access products will deliver wireless connectivity for the identity verification, monitoring and analysis of individual travelers. "More organizations are turning to wireless broadband technology because of its ability to very quickly deliver reliable and secure high-speed voice, video and data applications," said Keith Doucet, Redline’s VP of product management, in a news release. In Pakistan, Redline’s equipment will enable concerned agencies to maintain a database of travelers entering and leaving the country. Press2Talk service now available from MTSMTS Mobility has introduced Press2Talk service, which allows subscribers to communicate instantly with as many as nine other people at the press of a button. The service features a wireless handset that combines the ease-of-use of a walkie talkie with the functionality of a cellular phone. "The Press2Talk system provides tremendous convenience and flexibility for group users, all with one button," said MTS Allstream’s president of consumer markets Kelvin Shepherd in a media release. "It’s fast, reliable and the network coverage in Manitoba is the best." Other features of the service include the ability to toggle between Press2Talk messages and regular phone calls and a display that shows the availability individuals with icons like ‘do not disturb.’ Hot Telecom to use Nortel solutionHot Telecom, a consortium of cable service providers Golden Channels, Matav and Tevel, has selected a next-generation carrier solution from Nortel Networks Corp. for its cable telephony upgrade. The upgrade will position Hot to deliver services like managed VoIP, instant messaging and presence awareness to business and residential customers in Israel. "Hot selected Nortel because its technology will enable us to respond to our significant growth in telephony subscribers and will let us introduce new services to enhance our customer services portfolio," said David Borochovsky, director of communications, engineering division at Hot, in a news release.

ROW Short Takes

News | July 14, 2006

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