Two of America’s largest wireless carriers have announced that they will be rolling out voice over LTE technology (VoLTE), with AT&T’s version of the service launching Friday and Verizon Communications Inc.’s launching “later this year,” according to press releases from both companies. AT&T said in the release that it will be introducing VoLTE in areas of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and that the service will be available on the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini smartphone. Verizon did not say in its release where or exactly when the service would be...
U.S. telecom giant Verizon Communications Inc. confirmed it held talks with the Canadian government earlier this month. As reported in The Wire Report on Nov. 5, Verizon has an entry in the federal lobbyist registry, which became active Oct. 22, for it to communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office and Industry Canada about foreign-ownership rules and spectrum allocation. “We did attend a meeting earlier this month, and that is routine for Verizon,” company spokesman Bob Varettoni said in a phone interview. “I would categorize it as a routine meeting, and we meet with governments all over the world on a regular basis.” Varettoni would not specify which branches of government were consulted with or the subject matter of the meetings, though that information...
U.S. telecom giant Verizon Communications Inc. registered to lobby Canadian government officials in October, following its statements in September that it does not plan to enter the Canadian market. The Lobby Monitor reported Tuesday that Verizon hired Dentons Canada LLP to lobby on its behalf on foreign ownership rules and spectrum allocation....
Canadian wireless policies that aim to promote competition by “handicapping” incumbent providers could encourage the entrance of “inefficient” wireless competitors and could...
Canada’s privacy laws would help ensure U.S. security agencies do not gain unfettered access to Canadians’ wireless communications if a large U.S. mobile provider like Verizon Communications Inc. entered the Canadian...
Industry Minister James Moore launched on Friday a multi-pronged campaign to promote the government’s wireless policy and to counter a campaign by incumbent carriers, who argue the government is...
Verizon Communications Inc.’s decision to delay a potential acquisition of new entrant carriers Wind Mobile and Mobilicity suggests the U.S. provider is changing course on how best to enter the Canadian market, or cooling to the idea altogether, industry analysts said. The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources, that Verizon has put off a potential acquisition of the two new entrant carriers until after an Industry Canada auction of coveted wireless airwaves scheduled...
Mobile providers in Canada and around the world are walking around with a proverbial “pebble” in their shoe and could save millions of dollars each month when advancements in LTE wireless...
Continued regulatory uncertainty and a slow return on any potential investment will likely deter Verizon Communications Inc. from entering Canada’s wireless market, Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan said. In a research note released Tuesday, Fan said he believes there is less than a 50 per cent chance that Verizon, the leading wireless provider in...
Telus Corp.’s summer lobbying efforts will focus on the “potential economic impacts” of allowing a large foreign provider like Verizon Communications Inc. to enter Canada’s wireless market, said John Gossling, the company’s chief financial officer. “We’re...
BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. are lobbying for changes to the 700 MHz auction cap rule that permit foreign player Verizon Communications Inc. to purchase more spectrum than each...
A merger of Mobilicity and Wind Mobile looks more likely as news reports said Mobilicity delayed a debtholder vote on its recapitalization plan due to acquisition talks with Verizon Communications...
Verizon Communications Inc. held “exploratory talks” with investors in Wind Mobile about operating in Canada, The Globe and Mail reported, though analysts said they are skeptical of a Verizon expansion North. “Verizon has held exploratory talks with investors in Wind Mobile—one of two struggling new entrants in the wireless...