NL Short Takes

Telus applies for conciliation after talks with union failAfter the Telecommunication Workers Union halted bargaining and sought a strike mandate from its members, Telus Corp. has asked the federal labour minister for the appointment of a conciliator. The strike vote will be held between Oct. 26 and Nov. 13 at various sites throughout the serving area. The TWU unveiled a billboard last week outside of Telus corporate headquarters, urging the telco to take better care of its workers. Foreign ownership restrictions may be loosened: RockIndustry minister Allan Rock says Canadians are prepared to accept loosened restrictions on foreign ownership of telecommunications and media firms. "There have been changes in foreign ownership restrictions over the last 10 years," he said in Toronto. "I think that’s a trend you’ll see continue." Bouchard to negotiate with Vidéotron employeesFormer Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard has been named as Groupe Vidéotron ltée’s negotiator with its workers, who have been locked out since May 8. The move was surprising, since Vidéotron is a subsidiary of Quebecor Inc. One of the directors of the parent company is former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who had a falling-out with his erstwhile environment minister 12 years ago. Nortel Networks reports lower revenues in Q3 2002Nortel Networks Corp. reported revenues of US$2.36 billion in Q3 2002, down from the US$3.69 billion reported a year earlier. A loss of US$1.8 billion was posted, down from US$3.47 billion in 2001. The company hopes to be at a break-even point by Q2 2003, president/CEO Frank Dunn said. Group Telecom loses US$1.5 million contractGT Group Telecom Inc. announced that an American customer has cancelled a US$1.5 million contract because the capacity is above the unnamed client’s core needs. The customer cited Group Telecom’s operation under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as justification for the cancellation. O.N. Tel to enter joint venture to upgrade service in northThe Ontario Northland Transportation Commission says its O.N. Telcom subsidiary will be pursuing a joint venture with a major telecom provider to improve service in Northern Ontario. The provincial government has been trying to privatize the company for several years (NL, Feb. 26/01). Trillium bankruptcy ominous, NRC president cautionsThe collapse of Trillium Photonics (NL, Oct. 8/02) is a warning that Ottawa’s high-tech companies could be heading for disaster, National Research Council president Arthur Carty stated recently. One entrepreneur in the region, Terry Matthews of March Networks, agrees, telling an audience in Toronto that he sees no recovery in the telecom sector until 2005. Northwestel improves LD service in Mackenzie DeltaAs part of its four-year SIP, Northwestel has installed a new digital radio system in its radio towers in the Mackenzie Delta. This will result in improved quality for LD calls in Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic. Northwestel waives second line charge until year-endNorthwestel is waiving the non-recurring installation charges for individual line customers who are seeking a second line. In the promotion, which runs until Dec. 31, residential subscribers will save $70.50 while business clients will save $137.35. Telcos permitted to list contribution on phone billsThe CRTC will now allow telcos to list contribution amounts as a separate item on telephone bills. Telecom Decision 2002-65 comes as a result of a Part VII application filed by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre over Decision 2000-745. Aliant interest on deposits now uniform throughout serving areaIn Telecom Order 2002-410, the CRTC allowed Aliant Telecom Inc. to harmonize its terms of payment of interest on deposits so that they are consistent throughout the Atlantic provinces. Aliant will pay the prime rate of the Royal Bank of Canada, less 2.5%. Zarlink withdraws from VDSL market, cuts staffZarlink Semiconductor is leaving the VDSL sector, eliminating jobs in its network access group in Ottawa. The company says it will concentrate its R&D focus on high and more immediate growth opportunities. Spirent to cut jobs across company, including CanadaSpirent Plc, a British telecom test equipment manufacturer, announced it is slashing 230 jobs across the organization, representing an 11% cut. Some of the job losses will be in Ottawa, where the firm currently employs 90 people. VoiceIQ makes sales to Unisys Canada, two American statesToronto’s Voice IQ Inc. has sold a site licence for its playback software product to Unisys Canada. The company has also sold equipment to three courts in a New Mexico municipality and to federal courts in Kentucky. Larger provinces most open to competition: StatsCan studyA new report by Statistics Canada says Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia are the provinces that have moved the farthest from monopoly telephony. The state of telecommunications services finds P.E.I., Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador have the highest concentration of monopoly. Telus Québec introduces Webconcepteur serviceTelus Québec is unveiling a new service that helps businesses create interactive web sites themselves. Those using the Webconcepteur service can call a help line for further assistance. Canada wants to know location of telecom engineerThe Department of Foreign Affairs is asking the American government why it deported an Ottawa telecom engineer to Syria. Maher Arar, who holds a master’s degree from INRS Telecommunications in Montreal, was detained in New York in September and apparently sent to Syria, where he was born, in early October.

NL Short Takes

News | October 21, 2002

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