NL Short Takes

Telecom equipment field weakest in high-tech sectorA survey by consulting firm DBM found that the telecom equipment industry is the hardest-hit of the high-tech sector. The company found that of 7,400 unemployed Canadians polled, 42% had worked in the tech sector last year, with 41% of the tech workers being laid off from the equipment sector. Call-Net continues its fight against Bell WestCall-Net Enterprises Inc. has filed its reply to Bell West’s answer over non-compliance with affiliation rules. The CLEC filed the original complaint at the end of March (NL, Apr. 7/03), with the Bell answer coming on April 22. Regional telcos expand high-speed serviceManitoba Telecom Services Inc. has now captured 45% of the consumer high-speed Internet market, with 65,000 customers. The company plans to expand its next-gen network to 22 more communities this year. Northwestel plans to roll out high-speed service in Iqaluit NU in August. SaskTel International sells software to American telecomSaskTel International is selling two gateway software products to TDS Telecommunications Corp. of Madison WI. The contract is worth $2.3 million. Ottawa telecom engineer to face charges in SyriaOttawa telecommunications engineer Maher Arar is going to be facing terrorist-related charges in Syria, Liberal MP Marlene Catterall reports. The Syrians have not released many details about the case, the politician states. Arar, a Canadian citizen, was deported from the United States to the Arab nation last fall (NL, Oct. 21/02). Canada has protested the U.S. action. Dunn’s done, Nortel postpones analyst conference three weeksNortel Networks Corp. has rescheduled an investor analysts conference from May 7 to May 28. President/CEO Frank Dunn is recovering from eye surgery, which prevents him from traveling. YAK Communications now trading on NASDAQ Small CapYAK Communications has been granted approval to start trading on the NASDAQ small cap market. The reseller previously traded on the OTC Bulletin Board (NL, Apr. 22/03). PCNet gets conditional commitment letterPCNet International Inc. has received a conditional commitment letter to give it the financing it needs under its plan of arrangement. The Victoria ISP has not made its most recent Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act payment, but has used the letter to ease creditors’ fears. Canada Payphone inks deals with Victoria Port and IKEACanada Payphone Corp. has signed a five-year public access deal with the Victoria Port Authority, similar to the one it has with the Port of Vancouver (NL, Apr. 7/03). The company has also entered into a five-year contract to install payphones for IKEA in Ontario and Quebec. Canada Payphone expects to set up in other IKEA stores across the country. March Networks cuts staff despite increased federal doughOttawa’s March Networks has reduced its workforce by about 60 workers, a cut of around 40%. Last December, the company received $60 million from the federal government’s Technology Partnerships Canada agency. Telecom Ottawa signs 10-year contract with local school boardTelecom Ottawa Ltd. will provide high-capacity broadband and Internet connectivity to 77 schools and related facilities of the Ottawa Carleton Catholic School Board. The contract will run for 10 years. BCE Emergis and HealthLink partner on WSIB claimsBCE Emergis and HealthLink Technologies will work together to adapt HealthLink’s software to Emergis’ system. The new interface will permit clients of Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to submit their claim-related bills electronically from over 200 clinics. TeraGo rolls out network throughout GTATeraGo Networks Inc. has rolled out its full-scale network build in downtown Toronto, Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan and parts of Mississauga. The company has also added 23 office towers in Toronto, including the Royal Bank Plaza and the Richmond Adelaide Complex. Zarlink unveils four new amplifier chipsZarlink Semiconductor of Ottawa has introduced four broadband operational amplifier chips for driving high-resolution video signals. The devices amplify video signals at high speeds with low distortion. Montreal firm wants to open call centre in OntarioMontreal’s NCO Group hopes to open a call centre in Belleville ON if it can find enough qualified people to fill the 300 to 500 positions that may open up. Belleville is already home to three other call centres, run by Stream International, Beauty Rock Inc. and Multi-Channels Communications Inc. FCC rules Verizon violated interconnection rulesThe Federal Communications Commission has found Verizon Communications in violation of interconnection regulations. The American regulator was acting in response to a complaint from Core Communications Inc., which said Verizon had not interconnected it on reasonable terms. Qwest accuses Comcast of blocking DSL adsQwest Communications International Inc. wants Comcast Corp. to advertise DSL service from Qwest and other carriers. Many American cablecos have banned DSL advertising from their local commercial spots. In-flight Internet strikes passengers’ fancyGerman airline Lufthansa and Connexion by Boeing, a subsidiary of the aircraft manufacturer, report their in-flight Internet trials have been a rousing success. The companies began the demonstrations earlier this year (NL, Jan. 28/03). Telecom union pickets Verizon AGM over contract talksThe Communications Workers of America held a rally outside the annual general meeting of Verizon Communications. The two sides are about to negotiate a new contract, replacing the one that expires next August. The CWA is upset that Verizon laid off 2,500 of its 75,000 workers last December while senior management drew US$426 million in salaries and bonuses. Rural broadband trials begin in northern province of NetherlandsAuthorities in northern Holland have begun a pilot project to deploy broadband in the district of West Friesland. The first networks will be rolled out in the cities of Hoorn and Medemblik, with the expectation being that local businesses will benefit. They had complained of losing the connectivity race in western Europe. Grubman fined, barred from trading for AT&T ratingFormer Salomon Smith Barney telecom analyst Jack Grubman has been fined US$15 million and permanently barred from the securities industry for issuing false ratings on AT&T Corp. He had hoped to ingratiate himself with his boss, Citigroup CEO Sanford Weill, who wanted favours from AT&T executives (NL, Nov. 19/02). Grubman bragged in a confidential memo, recently released by American government authorities, that he had played AT&T CEO Michael Armstrong “like a fiddle.”

NL Short Takes

News | May 6, 2003

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