Vancouver's Apparent Networks is teaming up with New York's NextNine Ltd. for optical network performance. Under the agreement Apparent will integrate its AppCritical Technical Support Edition for network testing into Next Nine's Service Automation, which communication service providers and IT vendors use to aid technical support functions. Apparent seems to be branching out: it recently signed a deal with Toshiba Canada that would see the phone system's dealers use AppCritical for network testing.

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Customer satisfaction with North American contact centres decreased 25% compared to last year, according to Dimension Data in New York. The firm's ninth-annual Global Contact Center Benchmarking Report also says the average hold time jumped from 37 seconds to 64. As well, there's a 24% annual turnover among operators – a 14% increase over last year – and just 53% of contact centres employ basic computer-telephony integration (CTI) technology.

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Less than three weeks after Wi-LAN Inc. finished the sale of 5,714,300 common shares of the company on a bought deal basis, the proceeds for which grossed $40 million, the Ottawa-based company has announced the signing of a non-binding letter of intent with Tri-Vision International Ltd. for a business combination. Under the merger, Tri-Vision's common shares would be exchanged for common shares of Wi-LAN based on a price of $1.72 per Tri-Vision common share. This transaction would value Tri-Vision at about $108 million. "The combination of Wi-LAN and Tri-Vision will create a company that is more than the combined parts. It will be a world-class IP licensing company with exciting growth expected from our portfolio of essential patents," said Jim Skippen, the president and CEO of Wi-LAN. Since Tri-Vision owns the rights to US and Canadian V-chip patents, the acquisition will expand Wi-LAN's portfolio beyond the wireless and into the broadcast distribution sector. Skippen estimates the existing licenses of Tri-Vision should yield about $100 million in future revenues.

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