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Freedom Mobile sales hurt by merger uncertainty, dealer says
Media | 11/09/2022 10:52 am EST
Service and sales improved when Shaw Communications Inc. bought Wind Mobile in 2016 and rebranded it as Freedom Mobile, but they went into decline over uncertainty about Shaw’s takeover by Rogers Communications Inc.
Sudeep Verma, who once owned 19 Freedom shops in the...
Broadcasters want policy direction on C-11; streamers want their algorithms left alone
Media | 09/15/2022 7:51 pm EDT
Canadian broadcasting executives, from companies both big and small, told Senators studying the government’s efforts to update the Broadcasting Act that they would like to...
CRTC approves CISC working group report on location technology
telecom | 09/02/2022 5:06 pm EDT
Friday the CRTC approved a report from the CRTC Interconnection Steering...
Rodriguez slams Tories for misinformation on Online Streaming Act
Media | 06/07/2022 3:45 pm EDT
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez attacked the opposition for...
New G7 tax agreement not good enough: tax lobby group
Media | 06/08/2021 6:40 pm EDT
A Canadian tax lobby group is criticizing the global tax deal announced this weekend by G7 Finance...
ISED triples spectrum available for Wi-Fi
telecom | 05/19/2021 5:59 pm EDT
The federal government is making more spectrum available to increase competition, rural connectivity and the effective deployment of Wi-Fi and 5G technologies. On Wednesday, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry...
Quebec judge approves Apple class action settlement
telecom | 05/18/2021 4:09 pm EDT
A Quebec judge has approved a settlement agreement in a class action between Apple Inc. and consumers who encountered trouble with the graphics on some MacBook laptops due to hardware problems.
In a May 11 decision, Superior Court Justice Pierre Gagnon approved a...
Supreme Court to hear making available right dispute
Media | 04/26/2021 5:55 pm EDT
The Supreme Court of Canada has decided it will hear an appeal from Music Canada and the Society of...
Canadian radio broadcasters ask CRTC for space to compete with streamers
Media | 03/30/2021 5:35 pm EDT
The CRTC needs to do away with restrictive regulations, argue multiple...
Telecoms split on ISED’s proposed approach to opening 6 GHz band
telecom | 03/02/2021 5:20 pm EST
The federal government’s proposal to open up the 6 GHz spectrum band for WiFi use has received broad support in an Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada consultation. Every...
Half of Canadians want CanCon regs for music streaming services: CRTC survey
Media | 02/23/2021 5:19 pm EST
A new survey suggests that just over half of Canadians believe that...
Broadcasting sector reacts to O’Toole victory
Media | 08/24/2020 6:19 pm EDT
The election of Erin O'Toole as federal opposition leader late Sunday night makes "the threat of CBC...
UPDATED: OPC now says it supports COVID-19 tracing app
Media | 07/31/2020 8:52 am EDT
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has cleared up uncertainty about...
Working from home binge: OTT viewing up during the pandemic
Media | 07/28/2020 6:08 pm EDT
A quarter of anglophone Canadian over-the-top (OTT) service subscribers...
Privacy commissioner hasn’t approved new gov’t contact tracing app
telecom | 06/18/2020 3:48 pm EDT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that in developing the federal...
Federal Court of Appeal eliminates making available right for downloads
Media | 06/10/2020 1:49 pm EDT
The Copyright Board was wrong in extending the making available right to downloads in 2017, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled. The court said the board, in making that decision, “went to article 8 of the [The World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty], asserted its view of that article’s meaning without any supporting reasoning,” and then interpreted 2.4(1.1) of the Copyright Act to “conform to its view.” “This is not a legally acceptable methodology. This...
Outdated privacy laws may hamper COVID-19 tracing: Therrien
telecom | 05/29/2020 7:00 pm EDT
The outdated state of Canadian privacy laws may harm efforts to launch a...
‘Public outreach’ needed for ‘progress’ on encryption backdoors: gov’t doc
telecom | 05/26/2020 11:42 am EDT
In order to make “progress” on the issue of access to encrypted...
OECD seeks unified tax regime for web giants
telecom | 10/10/2019 5:49 pm EDT
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development will host a public consultation next month on its proposed “unified approach” to the taxation of the world’s biggest tech companies. A document released by the...
Leaders talk Netflix taxes, privacy in TVA election debate
Media | 10/02/2019 10:51 pm EDT
During the first French-language debate of the federal election campaign,...
CRTC commissioning report about market impact of online BDUs
Media | 08/09/2019 6:40 pm EDT
The CRTC wants to know more about the potential for the Canadian broadcasting market to absorb virtual broadcasting distribution undertakings (vBDUs).
Those services sit in-between a traditional BDU and an over-the-top (OTT) service like Netflix Inc.: it’s...
Freedom answers to ‘unlimited’, offers $0 phones on select plans
telecom | 07/25/2019 6:41 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom is responding to the wireless...
Telus to keep no-overage plans — and subsidies
telecom | 07/03/2019 6:57 pm EDT
Telus Corp. is making its once promotional “no overage” wireless data plan options a permanent...
OTT subs set to overtake traditional TV by 2020: report
Media | 04/23/2019 4:53 pm EDT
The number of Canadians who opt for over-the-top services is set to surpass the number of Canadians who subscribe to traditional television providers next year, according to a report released...
Content exporters ask consulting panel for CMF envelope they can access, match
Media | 03/12/2019 7:07 pm EDT
A trade association for Canadian-based television and content distribution...
Few internet giants weighed in to BTLR, submission list shows
telecom | 03/08/2019 4:13 pm EST
The panel in charge of reviewing the broadcasting and telecom acts received...
Don’t exclude online services from Broadcasting Act: Private radio
Media | 02/04/2019 12:00 pm EST
Canada’s private radio broadcasters are fighting against a push to keep...
‘Milestone’ digital content meeting to take place next week: Heritage
Media | 02/01/2019 5:39 pm EST
The federal government is organizing a working meeting next week in Ottawa...
TekSavvy launches IPTV service
Media | 02/01/2019 5:11 pm EST
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is now offering IPTV in Chatham, Ont., and the service will become available in...
Freedom says data strategy attracting higher-value customers
telecom | 01/14/2019 6:30 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. says its wireless business has reaped the fruits of a strategy — in the form of a sub base that pays more — that focused its efforts on making data-related issues a thing of the past.
Freedom president Paul McAleese said on a conference call...
Cellular search-and-rescue system RCAF’s domestic priority
telecom | 12/07/2018 9:35 am EST
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is currently testing radio technology...
Verizon to offer Samsung 5G phones in U.S. next year
telecom | 12/03/2018 1:18 pm EST
U.S. telecom Verizon Communications Inc. plans to have device manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co.’s 5G-compatible smartphones in the U.S. market within the first half of next year, the two companies announced Monday. That...
Xplore Mobile to launch with data rollover plans
telecom | 11/05/2018 4:58 pm EST
Manitoba customers of Xplornet Communications Inc.’s upcoming mobile service will be allowed to...
Shaw feels the competitive heat on wireline
telecom | 10/25/2018 6:04 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. reported wireline results for the fourth quarter that analysts characterized as...
Bandwidth pressures a concern for indigenous ISPs
telecom | 10/11/2018 5:43 pm EDT
Internet service providers (ISPs) in rural and remote communities are trying to keep up with the appetite of users consuming ever-higher amounts of data, especially as video streaming services and gaming become mainstays in the household.
“The digital generation [is]...
Telecom execs praise ‘healthier,’ ‘balanced’ regulatory environment
telecom | 09/26/2018 5:51 pm EDT
Representatives from BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. described a favourable relationship with regulators at a CIBC investors conference Wednesday, where they also addressed competition between...
Class action filed against Facebook over Android metadata collection
Media | 09/17/2018 12:35 pm EDT
Facebook Inc. is facing another class action suit in Ontario over how it...
New iPhones to use eSIMs
Media | 09/12/2018 4:27 pm EDT
Apple Inc.’s upcoming iPhones will have dual SIM capability, with a physical nano SIM and an embedded SIM, or eSIM.
The company announced Wednesday the features would...
Presidential banner caught emergency alert officials off-guard: emails
telecom | 09/06/2018 7:16 pm EDT
Public Safety officials working on Canada’s public alert systems were...
Facebook makes Watch video service available world-wide
Media | 08/30/2018 4:33 pm EDT
In a blog post on Wednesday, Facebook Inc. announced the global launch of...
CBC appoints new OTT content director
Media | 08/24/2018 4:08 pm EDT
CBC/Radio-Canada has appointed Gave Lindo to lead the public broadcaster’s over-the-top (OTT) content...
A quarter of English-speaking Canadians listen to podcasts
Media | 08/21/2018 4:35 pm EDT
The latest report from CBC/Radio-Canada’s Media Technology Monitor (MTM) project outlined 24 per cent of anglophone Canadians said they have listened to a podcast in the last month. Interest in...
Smart speaker adoption rate at 8% in Canada: MTM
telecom | 07/13/2018 2:12 pm EDT
Eight per cent of Canadians own a smart speaker, which is about in line with adoption of other early...
Canadian broadcasters drawn by ‘ton of momentum’ in podcasting
Media | 07/06/2018 11:11 am EDT
In early May, the Liberal government faced questions in the House of Commons about a Canadian citizen who had returned to the country after participating in the ongoing...
Freedom expands WiFi calling availability
Media | 06/11/2018 3:34 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile said more phones with Apple Inc.’s iOS and Alphabet...
Bell to launch new on-demand services, content hub
Media | 06/07/2018 5:47 pm EDT
BCE Inc. will launch two new ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, rebrand its entertainment...
Apple takes aim at targeted ads with browser privacy features
Media | 06/04/2018 5:07 pm EDT
During its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday, Apple Inc....
Hey Siri, 39% of Canadians are talking to their electronics: MTM
telecom | 04/19/2018 6:14 pm EDT
Virtual assistants are beginning to take hold in Canada, with almost 40 per...
Freedom on new, ‘sustainable’ trajectory after record sub adds: Shaw
telecom | 04/12/2018 4:46 pm EDT
On the heels of record wireless subscriber growth in its second quarter, Shaw Communication Inc.’s Freedom is on a path to steady growth, its president said on a conference...
NDP targets net neutrality, data and privacy rights in new motion
telecom | 03/28/2018 7:21 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Members of the federal NDP introduced a sweeping motion...
Apple buying magazine app partially owned by Rogers
Media | 03/13/2018 2:17 pm EDT
Apple Inc. is acquiring the magazine app Texture, the company announced Monday.
Texture, which Rogers...
Import standards on IoT devices a good idea, cyber experts say
telecom | 03/05/2018 5:21 pm EST
OTTAWA — Experts praised the idea of stricter standards for imported...
Apple gives MPs few answers on iPhone slowdown
telecom | 03/02/2018 4:09 pm EST
OTTAWA — Representatives from Apple Inc. faced down members of the House committee on industry, science...
Big Three leveraging wireless networks for digital ID business
telecom | 02/28/2018 3:52 pm EST
Canada’s major telecoms are among the leading players in the creation of...
Videotron launches free WiFi calling, texting for travellers
telecom | 02/26/2018 1:13 pm EST
Customers of Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron can now make free voice calls and ...
Worldwide smartphone sales dip in Q4: Gartner
telecom | 02/22/2018 2:13 pm EST
Global smartphones saw a year-over-year decline in sales for the first time in the fourth quarter due to...
Specialized fitness wearables to take chunk of global market by 2022
telecom | 02/12/2018 4:35 pm EST
Customers’ drive to track precise data will push specific kinds of...
Industry committee to go ahead with iPhone slowdown hearings
telecom | 02/07/2018 1:35 pm EST
The House of Commons standing committee on industry, science and technology has approved a motion to launch a study looking into the slowing down of Apple Inc.’s older mobile devices. NDP MP Brian Masse, who is the vice-chairman of the committee, asked it to look into a change to Apple’s mobile operating system that slowed down older devices. In a press release Tuesday, Masse said the committee passed his motion and “is set to invite Apple and other stakeholders to Ottawa to discuss the impacts of this on Canadian consumers.” Those appearances will take place in the “coming weeks,” the release added....
Bell’s Snackable TV officially on the menu
Media | 02/05/2018 5:58 pm EST
BCE Inc.’s Bell Media has officially launched a free, ad-supported mobile app featuring video content...
CRTC asks digital giants for info, promises confidentiality
Media | 02/05/2018 2:02 pm EST
As part of its government-ordered proceeding on future content distribution models, the CRTC is asking a number of companies — including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Netflix Inc. — for information...
Bell intros product for improved home internet
telecom | 01/24/2018 4:58 pm EST
In a release on Wednesday, BCE Inc. said it launched its residential mesh WiFi product.
Dubbed Whole...
CSIS document flags less-effective encryption as issue for IoT
telecom | 01/16/2018 5:31 pm EST
Canada’s security agency is aware of the push for stronger encryption by...
NDP calls on Apple to justify software slowdown to MPs
telecom | 01/12/2018 5:39 pm EST
The NDP says silicon valley giant Apple Inc. should speak to a Parliamentary committee about an unpopular change to its mobile operating system that slowed down older devices, but holding the tech giant accountable might not be straightforward, according to an expert....
Samsung to unlock FM chip in new smartphones
Media | 01/12/2018 3:47 pm EST
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will unlock FM chips in its newer smartphones, according to a press release...
With the iPhone, Freedom like a ‘new business’: Mehr
telecom | 01/11/2018 5:47 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc.’s wireless brand may see its strongest quarter...
Analysts expect Freedom subscriber boost in Q1
telecom | 01/08/2018 5:54 pm EST
After a rollicking December, analysts say Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile has potential to...
Text-with-911 incompatible with WiFi calling: CRTC
telecom | 01/05/2018 4:05 pm EST
In a step towards its goal of upgrading Canada’s 911 network by 2020, the CRTC published a decision on Friday which recommended that wireless service providers default all 911 calls to the cellular networks whenever possible....
SCC text message ruling clarifies privacy in digital communications
telecom | 12/08/2017 10:32 am EST
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada said Friday that a sender of a text...
CBC launches $5 a month premium OTT service
Media | 12/05/2017 4:20 pm EST
In a memo to its employees on Monday, CBC/Radio-Canada announced it has improved its over-the-top (OTT)...
Radio app iHeartRadio grows number of stations
Media | 12/04/2017 1:36 pm EST
A partnership between BCE Inc. and iHeartMedia Inc., iHeartRadio Canada announced Monday an update to its...
Amazon releases the Echo smart speaker line in Canada
telecom | 11/15/2017 3:46 pm EST
On Wednesday, Amazon.com Inc. made a move to introduce its intelligent personal assistant Alexa into this...
Telus revenue, profit up 4 per cent each
telecom | 11/09/2017 7:52 pm EST
Telus Corp. reported revenue of $3.36 billion, up four per cent from the same quarter last year, in its third-quarter results released Thursday, while net income also increased 4.2 per cent to $370 million over that time. Wireless revenue saw a 6.1 per cent increase over last year’s Q3 to $1.95 billion, whereas wireline stayed relatively flat with one per cent increase to $1.48 billion, Telus said in the results for the three-month period ended Sept. 30. Net new wireless subscribers also continued to grow with 44,000 more over 2016’s third quarter, a net 124,000 new pre- and...
Cell phone only households predict modern behaviour: MTM
telecom | 11/03/2017 4:21 pm EDT
Cell phone only households, meaning those that use only mobile phones and no landline, are growing across Canada and are a good indication of a series of modern habits, said a report published...
iPhone X, component shortages lowering phone demand: report
telecom | 10/17/2017 8:39 pm EDT
A new report from Gartner Inc. is predicting the Nov. 2017 release of Apple Inc.’s iPhone X combined with component shortages will cause a dip in ability to meet smartphone demand in 2017 and push...
Amazon adds Alexa to music app
Media | 09/26/2017 1:22 pm EDT
Amazon.com Inc. is making its voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant Alexa available on its...
Bell warns about some Apple Watch 911 capabilities
Media | 09/25/2017 4:17 pm EDT
BCE Inc. issued a press release Friday to let customers with Apple Inc.’s new Apple Watch know that...
Quebec ready to tax Netflix: culture minister
Media | 09/22/2017 3:55 pm EDT
If the federal government isn’t willing to impose taxes on foreign over-the-top (OTT) services, Quebec is willing to do so itself, Le Devoir quoted Quebec culture minister Luc Fortin as saying Thursday. He said Quebec would be willing to impose its provincial sales tax on subscriptions to Netflix Inc.’s service, the newspaper said in a report Friday. A coalition of more than 30 cultural groups praised Fortin’s comments in a press release the same day, writing that it “shares the Minister's position that nations must apply a consistent regulatory framework for all parties,...
MHz Choice launches in Canada
Media | 09/20/2017 2:58 pm EDT
Streaming service MHz Choice, which exclusively features international productions, is now available in...
Bell Apple Watch advantage unknown: experts
telecom | 09/15/2017 4:06 pm EDT
Wearable use in Canada and around the world is trending up, but the numbers for smartwatches are still...
Shaw poised for boost from new iPhones
telecom | 09/12/2017 5:17 pm EDT
Apple Inc.’s new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, announced Tuesday, are compatible with spectrum bands...
NFB awareness lagging behind Disney, CBC
Media | 09/05/2017 1:15 pm EDT
Canadians’ awareness of the National Film Board (NFB) as an organization that produces documentary or...
Making available right established for downloads, but no rates set
Media | 08/29/2017 6:26 pm EDT
The Copyright Board has ruled that the making available right under the...
Wearable sales to grow in 2017: Gartner
telecom | 08/24/2017 12:30 pm EDT
Worldwide sales of wearable devices are forecast to grow 16.7 per cent this year compared to 2016,...
Past quarter ‘as good as it gets’ for wireless: RBC analyst
telecom | 08/16/2017 11:49 am EDT
Following a quarter in which Canada’s telecoms all reported strong...
BlackBerry call encryption approved for U.S. government
telecom | 07/21/2017 4:12 pm EDT
Blackberry Ltd. will now be able to provide its mobile device...
32% of anglophones use music streaming services: MTM
Media | 07/20/2017 5:28 pm EDT
The popularity of music streaming platforms among anglophone Canadians has grown over the past year, with 32 per cent reporting using a music streaming service in the past month when surveyed in the spring of 2017. That’s compared to 28 per cent in the fall of 2016 and up from 21 per cent in the spring of 2015, according to a report released Thursday by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. The report noted that “one potential reason for this growth is a heavier focus on promotions and discounts” by providers. The most popular service was Spotify...
G20 heads call for lawful access cooperation in anti-terror statement
telecom | 07/12/2017 5:19 pm EDT
A joint statement from G20 leaders stemming from their two-day meeting last...
Civil society groups take aim at Five Eyes on encryption
Media | 06/30/2017 3:51 pm EDT
More than six dozen civil society organizations and individuals have come out to reiterate support for stronger data encryption in a letter addressed to a quintet of the world’s intelligence...
TMN Go to offer downloads
Media | 06/29/2017 3:58 pm EDT
TMN Go, the TV-everywhere service from BCE Inc.’s media division, will begin allowing viewers to download content for offline viewing.
The service will be available to...
Incumbents defend wireless prices after Bains criticism
telecom | 06/06/2017 7:59 pm EDT
TORONTO — Representatives from the big three were on the defense a day...
Freedom debuts LTE in Calgary and Edmonton
telecom | 05/18/2017 3:18 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile has expanded its LTE network into Calgary and Edmonton, the company announced Wednesday. “The launch of our powerful new LTE network furthers our commitment to providing Freedom Mobile customers in Calgary and Edmonton access to the same enhanced experience that those in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario and the Greater Vancouver Area currently enjoy,” Paul McAleese, Freedom’s chief operating officer, said in a press release. When McAleese was hired to replace former Freedom CEO Alek Krstajic last month, Canaccord Genuity...
Smartphone penetration at 80% among anglophones: MTM
Media | 05/09/2017 5:42 pm EDT
The number of anglophone Canadians who have smartphones climbed up to 80 per cent in the fall of 2016 from 77 per cent a year earlier, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM). At the same time, the...
CRTC effectively bans most zero-rating in differential pricing decision
Media | 04/20/2017 8:04 pm EDT
As the CRTC banned most forms of differential pricing practices Thursday — including declaring that telecoms can’t pick and chose Internet content to zero-rate and...
Telus, B.C. pledge $2M to connect youth in government care
telecom | 04/05/2017 9:33 pm EDT
Telus Corp. and the government of British Columbia are committing $2 million to offer subsidized smartphones to up to 1,000 youth who are currently, or were previously, in government care. The...
Encrypted messaging apps no place to hide, says U.K. official after killings
Media | 03/27/2017 8:23 pm EDT
Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp messaging service should not be a place “for terrorists to hide,” according to U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who appeared on a Sunday BBC program...
Flanker brands ramped up promos in March: Barclays
Media | 03/27/2017 8:04 pm EDT
Following a quiet first quarter, wireless companies’ flanker brands stepped up the competition in March, ramping up promotional activity through data increases and handset discounts, according to Barclays Capital. Just...
TV subscriber losses steady, wireless adds at record high in 2016
telecom | 03/16/2017 9:10 pm EDT
Following a year in which cord-cutting increased sharply, the trend seems to have levelled out somewhat in 2016, with Canada’s publicly traded telecoms losing 220,990 TV subscribers, compared to...
CPC leadership contenders outline views on media, telecom issues
Media | 03/09/2017 9:51 pm EST
On May 27, members of the Conservative Party of Canada will select who will succeed former prime minister Stephen Harper as permanent leader of the party, relieving interim Opposition leader Rona...
Hub for Canadian radio launches
Media | 03/01/2017 5:31 pm EST
More than 400 Canadian radio stations across the country are now available on a newly launched app featuring both public and private broadcasters. The free Radioplayer app launched Wednesday “gives radio listeners...
Patent infringement claim made against Shaw’s BlueSky TV
Media | 02/28/2017 5:27 pm EST
A Swiss corporation and two of its subsidiaries are alleging that Shaw Communications Inc.’s new IPTV service is infringing on a handful of its patents, according to a statement of claim filed in federal court Friday. Shaw launched BlueSky in January, touting it as having “more product and feature benefits than any other television service available in Canada,” including voice control. The service first rolled out in Calgary and is currently available in about 30 communities surrounding Calgary and Vancouver. Kudelski S.A. and its group of companies,...