NL Short Takes

Northwestel installs new central office in Repulse BayNorthwestel has installed a new Redcom MDXI central office in Repulse Bay NU, site of a recent service outage (NL, Feb. 24/03). Cutover of the switch, which can handle both custom calling and call management services, is scheduled for early March. Operator services change in Nunavut to add language choiceNorthwestel is transferring two operator service positions to its customer service centre in Iqaluit. As a result, the number of Inuktitut-speaking staff in the Nunavut capital will rise. Group Telecom wins Chilifish contract for data networkGroup Telecom has been awarded a contract to provide data services to Chilifish, a Calgary-based web site host. The company, which also has dedicated servers and VPN hosting, selected Group Telecom because of its expanded network following GT’s purchase by 360networks. NDP vows to keep fighting for Canadian telecom engineerNDP leader Jack Layton and defence critic Alexa McDonough are vowing to press the government over the case of Maher Arar (NL, Oct. 21/02). The Ottawa telecom engineer, a Canadian citizen, was deported from the United States to his birthplace of Syria. Bell West expands services for small business in VictoriaBell West is spending $4.5 million to expand its services in Victoria BC. It is joining with CommChoice Solutions Canada, a division of Okanagan Telephone Co., to provide service to small- and medium-sized businesses, the 11th deal the BCE Inc. subsidiary has announced in Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario government spends $1.2M on broadband projectThe Ontario government is awarding $1.2 million to CEONET in eastern Ontario to set up a broadband network serving the MUSH sector in the Cornwall district. It is the first disbursement under the province’s new Connect Ontario: Broadband Regional Access (COBRA) program. Nortel gets $177 million for Ottawa buildingThe federal government is paying $177 million for Nortel Networks Corp.’s Skyline campus in the capital. The telecom equipment maker will receive $90 million of the money this month. Peer 1 Network opens co-location facility in California, connecting to PAIXVancouver’s Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc. has opened a new collocation facility in San Jose CA. The expansion of its network means the company can connect to the Palo Alto Internet Exchange (PAIX). AT&T Canada completes 7-Eleven contractAT&T Canada Inc. has completed the deployment of a high-speed data network for Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. The three-year contract is worth $7 million. VoiceIQ reports increased profit for first quarter of 2003VoiceIQ Inc. of Markham ON reported revenues of $3.9 million in Q1 2003, up 105% from the $1.9 million recorded a year earlier. Profit this quarter was $125,926 compared to a loss of $889,000 in Q1 2002. Revenues increase at phone card retailer Phonetime Inc.Phone card company Phonetime Inc. announced revenues of $30 million in FY 2002, a record for the firm. Net income for the Mississauga ON company will be $2 million, a 200% jump from the 2001 figure. BCI collects final payment on America Movil promissory noteBell Canada International Inc. has received US$170 million on an interest-free promissory note from America Movil S.A. de C.V. This represents the final payment on the sale of BCI’s stake in Telecom Americas Ltd. Eastern Independent wins Brockville broadband contractEastern Independent Telecommunications Ltd. has been awarded a $7-million contract to provide broadband services to RipNET Ltd. and the 1000 Islands Community Development Corp. Residents of Brockville ON and nearby Leeds-Grenville county will now have greater access to the Internet. St. Paul University finds Bell Canada a doubting ThomasSt. Paul University found itself missing from the French section of the Ottawa phone directory and with the wrong address and phone number in the English listings. This is just one of several errors in this year’s edition of the directory, leading to complaints to Bell Canada. European companies told to file quarterly by European UnionThe European Union is seeking to move its financial regulations in line with North American standards. It wants telcos and other publicly listed companies to file quarterly reports, to restore consumer confidence. France Télécom debt increases by $33 billion in 2002France Télécom announced a loss in FY 2002 of EUR 20.7 billion (about $33.43 billion). That brings its net debt to EUR 68 billion (nearly $110 billion). SBC Communications slashes voice and broadband ratesSBC Communications has chopped its rates for voice and broadband services. Small businesses (those with fewer than 50 workers) are entitled to discounts ranging from 25% to 40%. The Baby Bell will also permit firms to create "build your own bundle" packages. Interconnection charges drop for CLECs in ItalyThe Italian telecom regulator has cut interconnection fees by between 14.5% and 18.6%. The agency did not touch last-mile charges, much to the relief of ILEC Telecom Italia, which was worried the country’s 116 CLECs would get additional assistance. French post office introduces two new Internet productsLa Poste, the postal service in France, is rolling out dial-up and broadband Internet products. The dial-up offer has two tariff plans, one involving a subscription, the other without, all of which provide service for different time frames. The broadband package offers speeds of 512 Kbps and 1024 Kbps. Installation and cancellation fees will apply to both services. British Telecom denies plan to top up pension fundBT Group is denying published reports saying the British Telecom parent needs to put more money into its pension fund. The stories suggested the company would have to inject £1.5 billion (about $3.55 billion) into the endowment. CIRA opens nominations for board of directorsThe Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is seeking candidates to fill three vacancies on its board of directors. Nominations must be received by March 26. The election will be conducted online and by faxed ballot. MTS unveils new signage at Portage and MainManitoba Telecom Services Inc. has installed new signage over its corporate headquarters at Portage and Main in Winnipeg. The largest logo is more than 480 square feet. The company said it is working toward beautifying the downtown core of the Manitoba capital. Al Qaeda member wants better Internet serviceZacarias Moussaoui, the so-called "20th hijacker" is having trouble getting an Internet connection, court documents reveal. The admitted Al Qaeda member says the six-month wait is "vicious" and predicts the FBI will cause his system to crash.

NL Short Takes

News | March 11, 2003

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