TAGGED AS WIND MOBILE
Shaw founder JR Shaw dies at 85
telecom | 03/25/2020 2:23 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. founder JR Shaw has passed away at the age of 85, the company said Tuesday.
Shaw founded Capital Cable Television Co. Ltd in 1966, which eventually as Shaw Communications grew into Canada’s largest TV service provider. The company also included a broadcasting division that was spun off into Corus Entertainment Inc., while Shaw entered the wireless market in 2016.
“I spoke to JR every day about the business. He was engaged and interested in everything the company was doing – from the...
Limited handsets a concern as Wind rebrands: analyst
Media | 11/21/2016 9:41 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc.’s Wind Mobile will be rebranded as Freedom Mobile and its LTE roll-out will come sooner than expected in two cities, the company’s CEO said Monday. The move comes despite some analyst concern about the availability of handsets compatible with its spectrum. Alek Krstajic made the announcement at a press conference in Toronto. He said the rebranding was a fresh start, part of an effort to eliminate “baggage” associated with the Wind name and to make the company, which was previously held by foreign owners, more Canadian. He also...
Wind won’t be as disruptive as T-Mobile, Krstajic says
telecom | 11/03/2016 12:02 am EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. reported revenues of $1.31 billion for the three months ended Aug. 31, an increase from $1.13 billion from the same quarter a year earlier, due to the addition of...
Wind’s reduced Ont. focus message to government: Huang
telecom | 10/24/2016 5:24 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. is putting less emphasis on growing subscribers for Wind in Ontario in favour of boosting its wireless network in Western Canada, according to Barclays analyst...
Shaw best-positioned carrier, regardless of Liberal policy: Barclays
telecom | 09/26/2016 6:47 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. is “the one player in the industry who is very well positioned” regardless of the direction the Liberal government takes on wireless policy,...
Telecoms among least-trusted Canadian companies: report
telecom | 09/26/2016 5:21 pm EDT
In a University of Victoria study ranking Canadians’ trust of various brands, all the telecom providers included were at the bottom of the list. The Gustavson Brand Trust Index,...
Shaw primed for Western success with Wind: RBC
telecom | 09/09/2016 4:32 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc.’s acquisition of Wind has potential for wireless success in Western Canada similar to that of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron in Quebec, according to RBC Capital Markets’ Drew McReynolds. In a research note published Friday, McReynolds used the Quebec-based company’s wireless efforts since 2010 as a benchmark against which Shaw might find room to thrive as a wireless carrier. McReyolds said in the note that he expects Shaw-Wind to launch a “Shaw-branded wireless service in order to maximize bundling and business market opportunities....
Wind faces short-term turbulence, long-term opportunity: Canaccord
telecom | 07/05/2016 9:07 pm EDT
Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda Galappatthige said in a research note Tuesday that Shaw Communications Inc.’s Wind faces “volatility and uncertainty over the short run,” though it also has a “genuine and sizable long-term opportunity.” However, in notes issued ahead of...
Regulatory approval clause at centre of Catalyst lawsuit
telecom | 06/03/2016 8:33 pm EDT
The consortium of investors that bought VimpelCom Ltd.’s stake in Wind Mobile didn’t make the deal contingent on regulatory approval, a clause it was able to include because...
Shaw-Wind close deal
telecom | 03/01/2016 10:18 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has closed the deal to purchase Wind Mobile. The $1.6 billion transaction brings Shaw into the wireless market, with the acquisition of Wind's 940,000 subscribers. Shaw first announced its intention to purchase Wind in December....
Shaw-Wind deal gets closing date
telecom | 02/19/2016 9:38 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. will close the $1.6 billion deal to purchase Wind Mobile by March 1, the company said Friday in a press release. Shaw announced its intention to enter the wireless market through the acquisition in...
Shaw to keep Wind’s current strategy in place: exec
telecom | 02/09/2016 9:51 pm EST
As it takes ownership of Wind Mobile, Shaw Communications Inc. will continue positioning Wind as a cheaper option compared to the big three national wireless carriers, according to the company’s chief operating officer....
Shaw-Wind deal cleared by Competition Bureau
telecom | 02/05/2016 2:40 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said it wouldn’t stand in the way of Shaw Communication Inc.'s purchase of Wind Mobile. Shaw announced its plans for the $1.6 billion acquisition in December and on Thursday,...
Wind completes Vancouver expansion, begins Calgary work
telecom | 02/04/2016 5:30 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced Thursday it has completed its network infrastructure upgrades in Vancouver and has begun a similar expansion in Calgary. The company said in a press release that...
Tangible benefits unclear for Corus-Shaw deal: expert
Media | 01/13/2016 8:18 pm EST
Regulatory approval of Corus Entertainment Inc.'s planned purchase of Shaw Communications Inc.'s media division shouldn't be a problem since there's no real change in who's controlling the assets, said one...
Shaw’s FreeRange TV first step in transition to IP-based system
Media | 01/06/2016 9:09 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. on Wednesday began publicizing the first phase in a transformation of its television service that it hopes gives consumers reason to choose its TV service over competitors and over the option of having no TV service at all. It announced the availability of an application called FreeRange TV, which Shaw chief operating officer Jay Mehr said will allow the company's TV customers to get the full range of their TV subscriptions on mobile devices within their homes or while out and about. "We think it's a major step forward," he said in a phone interview. "The ability to take everything you subscribe to on your TV, at no extra charge, onto your...
Shaw-Wind deal means no Rogers merger on horizon: analysts
Media | 12/17/2015 11:00 pm EST
Financial analysts said Thursday that the surprising move by Shaw Communications Inc. to buy Wind Mobile means any potential merger between Shaw and Rogers Communications Inc. won’t happen any...
Shaw says timing, current market dynamics made Wind deal attractive
Media | 12/17/2015 3:43 pm EST
The economics of entering Canada’s wireless market through the acquisition of Wind Mobile today are better than past opportunities Shaw Communications Inc. has had to enter the mobile sector,...
Shaw looks to enter wireless market with $1.6B deal for Wind
telecom | 12/17/2015 1:45 am EST
The Big Three may have just become the Big Four, as Shaw Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it is attempting to become a wireless provider by acquiring Wind Mobile. Shaw said in a press release...
Wind Mobile upgrades Vancouver area coverage
telecom | 12/15/2015 6:25 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced Tuesday that it is adding antennas and deploying new spectrum in the Vancouver area as an initial step in a cross-Canada network upgrade. "Wind customers in the greater Vancouver area are already...
Wind to launch LTE by end of 2016 with new financing
telecom | 12/10/2015 10:46 pm EST
Wind Mobile is looking to make LTE service available to at least some of its customers by the end of next year, after announcing it has borrowed $425 million to help it do so. On Thursday, Wind issued a press release that indicated it has secured a new financing package worth $425 million that involves backing from Toronto-Dominion Bank, Bank of Montreal and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Also involved is Finnverva, the export credit agency of Finland, where the technology provider for Wind's network upgrade, Nokia Corp., is based. Wind said said the money secured would...
Bell ranked highest in mobile network performance
telecom | 12/09/2015 8:38 pm EST
BCE Inc. was tops in RootMetric’s 2015 Canadian mobile network performance review that was released Wednesday, with Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. not far behind. The U.S.-based mobile analytics company said in...
How do Shaw’s decisions on Canwest, mobile look today?
Media | 12/07/2015 8:30 pm EST
Yesterday's actions can have a profound influence on tomorrow. Such a notion might apply to a couple of decisions Shaw Communications Inc. has made in the last half-decade. The first of those was its 2010 move to spend $2 billion to purchase the broadcasting assets of Canwest Global Communications Corp., which included...
Wind responsible for 72.5% of code breaches last year: CCTS
telecom | 12/01/2015 10:49 pm EST
Wind Mobile had 422 confirmed breaches of the CRTC’s wireless code last year, or 72.5 per cent of the total compiled by the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) in...
Wind donating phones, wireless service to refugees
Media | 12/01/2015 4:09 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced Tuesday it is partnering with Lifeline Syria, a non-profit organization that helps Syrian refugees with the relocation process in Canada, to provide incoming refugees with mobile phones and wireless service...
CRTC says incumbents can’t change terms in interim roaming rates
telecom | 11/30/2015 8:55 pm EST
The CRTC has told Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc., and Telus Corp. that the terms and conditions in interim tariffs the incumbents filed following the CRTC’s move in May to regulate some...
Wind launches referral reward program
telecom | 11/19/2015 9:08 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced the launch of “Refer a Friend” Thursday, a program that rewards customers for recommending the company to friends. It said in a press release that customers who use the program to refer friends...
Wind adds 3rd domestic roaming partner
telecom | 11/17/2015 3:28 pm EST
Wind Mobile said Tuesday it has added "a third major roaming partner" in Canada. It did not disclose which company is the new partner, though given that Wind's operating territory is Ontario, Alberta and British...
Selling spectrum outside Quebec ‘only option’: Quebecor
telecom | 11/12/2015 8:25 pm EST
Quebecor Inc.'s chief financial officer told an investors conference Thursday that selling the spectrum it holds outside Quebec is the only thing the company can do with it. During the Scotiabank Telecom & Cable Conference in Toronto, Jean-François Pruneau was asked about what appeared to be a change in...
SaskTel deploys AWS-1 spectrum, increases LTE capacity
telecom | 10/19/2015 4:13 pm EDT
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. announced Monday that it has successfully deployed a block of AWS-1 spectrum, increasing the capacity and speed of its 4G LTE network in nine locations in Saskatchewan. It said in a press release that Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current, North Battleford, Estevan and Weyburn will receive an increase in 4G LTE speeds from 110 Mbps to 150 Mbps, with a bandwidth increase from 15 MHz to 20 MHz. The successful deployment of AWS-1 spectrum comes as a result of SaskTel’s recent purchase of the spectrum from Wind...
Quebecor won’t take mobile service national alone: CFO
Media | 09/16/2015 8:47 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. is not interested in being Canada's fourth national wireless carrier, at least not by itself. That was the message Quebecor chief financial officer Jean-Francois Pruneau gave to a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce investors' conference held in Montreal Wednesday. While discussing options for using...
Apple cuts off Wind’s iPhone supply: report
telecom | 08/05/2015 5:01 pm EDT
Apple Inc. has told Ingram Micro Inc. to stop selling used iPhones to Wind Mobile for distribution to the carriers' customers, the Globe and Mail reported. An article appearing online Tuesday night said Apple told Ingram, which distributes Apple products in Canada, that providing iPhones to Wind was a breach of the agreement between Apple and...
Wind sells Manitoba, Sask. AWS spectrum
telecom | 07/31/2015 7:37 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has sold its AWS spectrum in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., stating the company plans to focus on the Ontario, B.C. and Alberta...
Big carriers defend interim tariff terms
telecom | 07/29/2015 8:39 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. took issue with a complaint by small wireless carriers that their interim tariffs include “onerous” terms and conditions, arguing the Telecommunications Act requires...
Analyst Glen Campbell joins Wind
telecom | 07/27/2015 7:03 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has named a telecom analyst as its new chief commercial officer. Glen Campbell was previously head of Canada equity research and global coordinator for telecom services research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the company said in a press release Monday. It said Campbell’s responsibilities at Wind would include sales and distribution, marketing, branding, communications, and “customer care operations.” Wind CEO Alek Krstajic said in the release that Campbell’s “strong telecom and investment industry understanding will further strengthen [Wind] as the company solidifies its place in the Canadian wireless landscape."...
New CRTC wholesale rules won’t change telco FTTH strategies: analysts
telecom | 07/23/2015 8:59 pm EDT
A day after the CRTC said it would mandate wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks by small ISPs, financial analysts said the move likely won’t have a significant impact on...
Wind expands signal in Toronto subway stations
telecom | 07/13/2015 2:00 pm EDT
Wind Mobile said Monday it has expanded its coverage in stations that are part of Toronto's subway system. The wireless carrier said in a press release it now has the entire downtown loop of Line 1 covered and has added...
Smaller wireless carriers cry foul on interim-tariff filings
telecom | 06/25/2015 7:24 pm EDT
Wind Mobile, Quebecor Inc. and Eastlink are asking the CRTC to require incumbent wireless carriers to re-file documents relating to interim tariffs and conditions for domestic roaming access. As part...
Rogers-Mobilicity deal sign of ‘benign’ regulatory environment: analyst
telecom | 06/24/2015 11:47 am EDT
Industry Canada’s approval of Rogers Communications Inc.’s bid to buy Mobilicity, as well a deal for Rogers to acquire spectrum from Shaw Communications Inc., signals an improvement in the...
Is government easing off on spectrum-transfer policy?
telecom | 06/22/2015 8:59 pm EDT
Speculation that the federal government is poised to approve the acquisition of Mobilicity and its spectrum by Telus Corp. or Rogers Communications Inc. has some observers disagreeing whether this would represent a major departure...
Rogers IPTV launch to coincide with skinny-basic offering
telecom | 06/17/2015 8:07 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. will launch its IPTV service at about the same time it starts adjusting to new rules that require service providers to provide skinny-basic TV packages for no more than $25...
Wind offering cellular service in Toronto subway
telecom | 06/17/2015 4:30 pm EDT
Wind Mobile is the first wireless carrier to provide its customers with cellular service in the Toronto subway system, the company said in a press release Wednesday. Wind customers will have immediate “access to cellular...
TekSavvy’s Abramson takes on incumbents at Telecom Summit
telecom | 06/02/2015 7:36 pm EDT
TORONTO — With a key decision from the CRTC on smaller service providers’ access to wireline telecommunications networks expected soon, three incumbents’ regulatory bosses took on...
Quebecor adds spectrum, still non-committal on national expansion
telecom | 05/12/2015 2:43 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. is still publicly sitting on the fence when it comes to expanding its wireless service throughout Canada despite bidding $187 million on 2500 MHz spectrum, including for licences outside Quebec, in an auction for which results were announced Tuesday. After Telus Corp., Quebecor was the second-biggest spender in the auction, acquiring 18 licences in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Industry Canada said the purchases increased Quebecor's spectrum holdings by 28 per...
Incumbents could have fared worse in wholesale wireless decision: analyst
telecom | 05/05/2015 8:10 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — Wireless incumbents are going to have to play by a different set of rules than smaller carriers when it comes to providing network access to competitors, though one industry...
Mobilicity monitor says Wind promotion did little harm
telecom | 05/01/2015 5:41 pm EDT
New court documents show Mobilicity lost only 1,600 customers during the first four months of 2015 despite Wind Mobile’s offer of six months of free service to defectors from Mobilicity. An...
Wind adds two new executives
telecom | 04/23/2015 7:37 pm EDT
One month after Alek Krstajic took over the top job at Wind Mobile, two other key jobs at the wireless carrier are also seeing change. Bob Boron has replaced Simon Lockie as chief regulatory officer at Wind, while Bruce Kirby has...
Quebecor roaming plan could point to national ambition: analyst
Media | 04/14/2015 8:53 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc.’s Tuesday announcement of nationwide roaming at no charge for its Videotron wireless customers could allow the company to test the waters for a national mobile service, according...
Next spectrum auction seen as less substantial than previous sales
telecom | 04/13/2015 5:03 pm EDT
Canada's third wireless spectrum auction in a little more than a year is set to start Tuesday, and it is generally predicted to bring in far less money than the other two, though at least one analyst feels there is demand for the additional bandwidth an auction like this brings to the market. The 11 approved bidders in the 2500 MHz auction are mobile carriers Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc., Telus Corp., Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., Wind Mobile, TBayTel Inc., Eastlink and Quebecor...
CCTS reports fewer complaints, more wireless code breaches
telecom | 04/02/2015 2:37 pm EDT
While overall complaints about telecommunications services have continued to decline, according the first-ever mid-year report from the Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services...
Cordova was never meant to be permanent Wind CEO: source
telecom | 03/23/2015 8:06 pm EDT
When Pietro Cordova was introduced as Wind Mobile's new chief executive officer in October, it was not presented as an interim role, yet that was always the plan, according to a person with...
Broadcasters seeking compensation for 600 MHz changes
telecom | 03/17/2015 2:30 pm EDT
Broadcasters participating in a consultation on moving 600 MHz spectrum from its role of carrying television signals to mobile usage are intent on avoiding the kind of costs borne by the industry as a result of the 2011 conversion...
Wind spectrum sale to SaskTel prevented: report
telecom | 03/13/2015 2:54 pm EDT
A proposed sale of spectrum in Saskatchewan from Wind Mobile to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. was cancelled because of a negative reaction by federal government officials, the Financial Post reported. An article...
Mobilicity might have lost AWS-3 funding: report
telecom | 03/05/2015 2:42 pm EST
Mobilicity might have been unable to raise the funds to bid in Tuesday’s AWS-3 spectrum auction because a $200-million financing deal fell through just minutes before the deadline, according to a report by the Financial...
Industry Canada accepts all bidders in AWS-3 and 2500 MHz auctions
telecom | 02/13/2015 3:19 pm EST
Industry Canada released the list of qualified bidders in both the AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions on Friday, with every applicant meeting the qualifications. There are 10 qualified bidders in...
Mobilicity hoping for post-auction sale approval: report
telecom | 02/12/2015 9:11 pm EST
Mobilicity is hoping that spectrum ownership in Canada after two upcoming auctions becomes diluted enough that the government changes course on its previous refusal to allow the sale of the company...
Wind, Mobilicity held recent acquisition talks: report
telecom | 02/11/2015 4:48 pm EST
Wind Mobile had last-minute talks about a purchase of bankrupt carrier Mobilicity in advance of the Jan. 30 application deadline for bidding in the two upcoming spectrum auctions, according to a...
Spectrum auction applicants list holds few surprises
telecom | 02/05/2015 8:34 pm EST
The list of aspiring bidders in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions released by Industry Canada on Thursday includes the dominant players in Canada’s wireless sector as well as the remaining new entrants from the 2008 AWS auction, yet does not herald the entry of any new competitors into the market. The big three incumbent players, BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp., are joined by two large regional players in Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. in bidding on the 20 MHz of AWS-3 spectrum available to them...
Mobilicity, Wind backers battle in court: report
telecom | 02/02/2015 4:36 pm EST
Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a secured creditor of wireless service provider Mobilicity, is asking for a court injunction that would prevent West Face Capital Inc., an investment firm that was part of the group that bought out...
Wind confirms participation in spectrum auctions
telecom | 01/29/2015 4:22 pm EST
Wind Mobile on Thursday confirmed its participation in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions. The registration deadline for both is Friday. The AWS-3 auction is set to begin on March 3 and the 2500 MHz auction will...
Some say Rogers vulnerable to ‘double cohort,’ others downplay issue
telecom | 01/28/2015 9:46 pm EST
In June, wireless carriers face a higher-than-usual number of expiring contracts, as a result of the wireless code effectively banning the previously standard three-year agreements. But experts...
Mobilicity, Wind in stare-down as AWS-3 deadline looms
telecom | 01/27/2015 3:39 pm EST
Mobilicity's intent to access up to $65 million in debt to participate in the upcoming AWS-3 auction has important implications for Wind Mobile, which would otherwise face no competition for the...
‘Moving parts’ making spectrum auction predictions difficult: analyst
telecom | 01/23/2015 7:12 pm EST
Analysts are divided on how two upcoming spectrum auctions will change Canada’s wireless industry as the deadline for registration looms at the end of January. The upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz auctions are taking place against a backdrop of uncertainty as carriers await a decision from the CRTC on wholesale wireless access and fees, a decision that could change the fundamental economics of providing consumer wireless services. Drew McReynolds, a telecom analyst with RBC Dominion Securities, said predictions about the auctions are more difficult in the current climate. “The problem is, there’s so many moving parts,” he said in a phone interview. The AWS-3 auction...
Wind promotion seen as shot against Mobilicity
telecom | 01/15/2015 9:08 pm EST
Wind Mobile's offer of free wireless service to customers of Mobilicity, with unlimited data, text and calls for six months, could be an offensive move to help clear away competition for set-aside spectrum in the upcoming...
CRTC, spectrum auctions among major wireless issues for 2015: analysts
telecom | 12/18/2014 6:01 pm EST
As the new year approaches, Canadian wireless carriers of all sizes await a CRTC decision on domestic roaming that could, in the words of one analyst, “disrupt” the industry with...
Wind won’t go ‘national,’ says new CEO
telecom | 12/16/2014 8:30 pm EST
Wind Mobile's new chief executive says the carrier will become a "stronger fourth carrier" in the provinces where it already operates, but is unlikely to become a "national" wireless competitor to BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. "I don't think we'll be a national...
Wind Mobile expands out-of-network coverage
telecom | 12/02/2014 9:37 pm EST
Wind Mobile said Tuesday it has struck a deal with another network operator to provide its customers with greater coverage when traveling outside Wind's core network in Canada. Wind did not name the company in the press...
Rogers says no decision yet on Shaw spectrum deal
telecom | 11/27/2014 9:06 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. says the federal government has not yet informed it of a decision on whether it can buy wireless spectrum from Shaw Communications Inc. A report on the news website Cartt Thursday cited anonymous...
‘New entrants need to find ways to work together’: Lacavera
telecom | 11/26/2014 11:53 pm EST
OTTAWA — Wind Mobile chairman Anthony Lacavera said Wednesday there is still the possibility of a deal between his company and wireless competitors such as Mobilicity or Quebecor Inc.-owned Videotron to build a national alternative to the incumbent carriers. “It doesn't make a lot of sense for us as...
Catalyst would fund spectrum purchase for Mobility: report
telecom | 11/24/2014 10:25 pm EST
Catalyst Capital Group Inc. would help fund Mobilicity's purchase of new spectrum in the government's AWS-3 auction next year, its leader said in an interview with the Globe and Mail. An...
Rogers’ Laurence deals with top customer problem — roaming
telecom | 11/07/2014 10:09 pm EST
With Rogers Communications Inc. focusing on improving its relationship with and reputation among customers, Friday's announcement of a $5-a-day roaming plan in the United States gets to the heart of what CEO Guy Laurence said was the biggest issue among Rogers' wireless subscribers when he joined the company....
Wind promises government it will invest in network
telecom | 11/04/2014 9:33 pm EST
The government has approved the buyout of Wind Mobile from VimpelCom Ltd. by a consortium led by Anthony Lacavera's Globalive Capital with a number of attached conditions, including that the new ownership group "significantly invest capital with the aim of purchasing spectrum." A statement from Industry Minister James Moore Tuesday said the transaction "will contribute to a more robust and competitive wireless industry in Canada." Industry Canada also approved the transfer of all spectrum licences to the new ownership group, Moore said, adding that this...
Canadian mobile carriers rankings vary by city
telecom | 10/28/2014 3:36 pm EDT
A look at Canada's three biggest cities by a U.S.-based mobile analytics company found different carriers' dominance fluctuated in the second half of this year, depending on the location. For Toronto, the report on...
LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera
telecom | 10/27/2014 8:48 pm EDT
As Wind Mobile’s chief operating officer, Pietro Cordova, steps into the CEO role vacated by Anthony Lacavera Monday, his top priority will be to put an LTE network in place, the outgoing CEO said in a phone interview....
AWS-3 auction prompts debate around urban-rural issues
telecom | 10/10/2014 5:22 pm EDT
A proposal from one incumbent carrier to restrict set-asides in the upcoming AWS-3 auction to urban centres has elicited debate in the latest round of submissions to Industry Canada from carriers...
Rogers takes aim at Telus, Bell network sharing
telecom | 10/01/2014 9:19 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — It's not always a case of the wireless incumbents battling newer entrants; Wednesday's session of the CRTC hearing into the wholesale wireless market featured one of the big three throwing its two...
Paying retail for wholesale access isn’t good enough, say carriers
telecom | 09/29/2014 9:40 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — Legislation introduced earlier this year that caps wholesale wireless roaming rates to what host carriers charge their own retail customers doesn't create the conditions necessary for smaller operators to compete, representatives from Wind Mobile and Mobilicity told the CRTC on Monday. It was the first day of a weeklong hearing looking into Canada's wholesale wireless market. Representatives from Wind and Mobilicity told the hearing that their entry into the market in 2009, after buying set-aside spectrum in the 2008 AWS auction, was hindered by expensive roaming rates. Legislation that came into effect in June capped these rates at a formula based on the...
Internet regulation may be template for future of wholesale wireless
telecom | 09/26/2014 2:19 pm EDT
As the CRTC prepares for a week of hearings beginning Monday on the future of wholesale wireless in Canada, the rules regarding wholesale Internet access may be a predictor of how the regulator will...
Cogeco calls for regulated access to wireless networks
telecom | 09/25/2014 8:05 pm EDT
Cogeco Cable Inc. wants the CRTC to set up regulated access to established wireless carriers’ networks, president and CEO Louis Audet said during a conference call with media Thursday....
Quebecor ‘still interested’ in Wind
telecom | 09/17/2014 8:21 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. is “still interested” in Wind Mobile and is “certainly interested in talking with them” following the announced buyout of the carrier on Tuesday, Quebecor’s senior vice-president and...
Buyout puts Wind on solid ground, says Lacavera
telecom | 09/16/2014 1:51 pm EDT
Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera says his $285-million buyout of majority shareholder VimpelCom Ltd., announced Tuesday, brings stability to his company after years of ownership uncertainty. Lacavera will buy out the majority...
Incumbents say AWS-3 set-aside unnecessary, bad for taxpayers
telecom | 09/15/2014 8:36 pm EDT
In newly released documents Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. all criticize the set-aside for new entrants in the upcoming AWS-3 auction, with Bell is asking the government to...
Paper billing issue small potatoes for telecom sector: analysts
telecom | 08/29/2014 7:28 pm EDT
Much has been made this week about the practice of levying extra fees for the privilege of getting a physical bill for telecommunications services, and some industry watchers are downplaying the...
Moore promises to outlaw ‘pay-to-pay’ billing
telecom | 08/28/2014 11:56 pm EDT
Hours after a meeting between telecommunications companies and CRTC officials regarding paper-billing charges that failed to end in a result satisfactory to policy-makers, Industry Minister James Moore said via social media...
Wind lowers domestic roaming prices
telecom | 08/21/2014 2:29 pm EDT
Wind Mobile on Thursday announced lower prices for domestic roaming as it begins using higher-quality networks for its customers travelling outside their base. The company said in a press release that data speeds will be up to...
Another Church report blasts efforts to ‘enhance’ mobile competition
telecom | 08/19/2014 9:01 pm EDT
University of Calgary economists Jeffrey Church and Andrew Wilkins are back at it, criticizing government attempts to bring more competition to Canada's wireless sector and insisting those efforts amount to a subsidization of non-viable companies by taxpayers with no justifiable benefit to consumers. In Church and Wilkins’ latest report, released Tuesday, the pair argue there is little evidence that Canada's wireless market does not have sufficient competition, that policies implemented by the government have supported businesses that would otherwise be unviable, and that these interventions have limited the innovation and products that customers might otherwise enjoy from...
CRTC releases figures on wireless wholesale caps
telecom | 08/06/2014 8:54 pm EDT
On Wednesday the CRTC released average domestic retail prices for wireless carriers as part of its ongoing examination of the wholesale wireless market in Canada. The CRTC declined a request from Wind Mobile to make public the...
Wind Mobile reports subscriber, ARPU growth
telecom | 08/06/2014 8:11 pm EDT
Wind Mobile posted subscriber growth and an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) in the second quarter, according to a financial filing from co-owner Global Telecom Holding SAE. Wind’s subscriber base grew to 741,000...
Analysts, carrier question policy on AWS-3 set-asides
telecom | 08/06/2014 7:21 pm EDT
Analysts are split on the wisdom of Industry Canada’s rules for the upcoming AWS-3 auction, which appear to put valuable spectrum in two provinces out of reach for any carrier. The spectrum rules, detailed on July 28, set...
CRTC finds Rogers’ treatment of Wind Mobile ‘unjust’
telecom | 07/31/2014 9:45 pm EDT
The CRTC issued a decision Thursday in the first of its two reviews of wholesale wireless roaming in Canada, finding that Rogers Communications Inc. committed “unjust discrimination” in...
American private equity firm reportedly interested in Wind Mobile
telecom | 07/30/2014 7:54 pm EDT
Providence Equity Partners Inc., an American private equity firm, is interested in a stake in Wind Mobile, according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg based on unnamed sources. Providence was involved in the bidding for ownership of BCE Inc. in 2007 and has investments in several telecom-related businesses including data centre operator Q9 Networks. In March, Wind's majority shareholder VimpelCom Ltd. wrote down the entire value of its $768-million US investment in Wind Mobile,...
Wind launches account-management app
telecom | 07/22/2014 9:10 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has launched an app that allows customers to manage their Wind account, including the ability to view their account balance, pay bills, monitor their phone usage and change their plan, among other options. Wind said...
Wind looking to offer 3G roaming thanks to price cap
telecom | 07/08/2014 10:06 pm EDT
Now that the federal government’s domestic roaming caps are in place, Wind Mobile is looking to upgrade to 3G for its roaming network by the end of the summer, chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie said on Tuesday. His...
Government ‘determined to get that fourth national carrier’
telecom | 07/07/2014 1:26 pm EDT
The federal government on Monday announced another auction for wireless spectrum will be held next year and, like previous auctions, it will have rules meant to increase the viability of companies competing against the three incumbents. "They are bound and determined to get that fourth national carrier," Gregory...
Wind Mobile expands in Ontario
telecom | 07/03/2014 8:27 pm EDT
Wind Mobile said Thursday it has expanded into Branford, Ont. It said in a press release that it has opened two retail outlets there. Robert Sauer, a spokesman for Wind, said by email that this coincided with the expansion of...
Rene Schuster named VimpelCom COO
telecom | 07/02/2014 5:48 pm EDT
VimpelCom Ltd., the Amsterdam-based company that is majority owner of Canada's Wind Mobile, on Tuesday named Rene Schuster as chief operating officer. The company said in a press release that Schuster was previously CEO of...
Mobilicity less attractive than Wind for Quebecor: analyst
telecom | 06/25/2014 7:07 pm EDT
New-entrant wireless carrier Mobilicity is in a holding pattern after the collapse of a buyout deal with Telus Corp. that could harm its chances of being rescued from bankruptcy protection,...
Quebecor says it needs regulated roaming to become fourth carrier
telecom | 06/18/2014 9:14 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. said explicitly Wednesday that it intends to become Canada's "fourth wireless competitor," though it needs "a fair and competitive federally regulated roaming...
Telecoms square off on government intervention
telecom | 06/18/2014 1:01 am EDT
TORONTO — Canada’s biggest telecom companies faced off with one of their smaller rivals over the government’s approach to regulating the wireless industry at the Canadian Telecom Summit on Tuesday. Ted Woodhead,...
Wind seeks LTE spectrum from Shaw, Quebecor
telecom | 06/17/2014 8:27 pm EDT
TORONTO — Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said Tuesday that his company needs access to LTE spectrum, perhaps from unused space held by Quebecor Inc. or Shaw Communications Inc., if his company is to continue to be a viable alternative to the incumbent wireless carriers. Lacavera said in an interview from the sidelines of the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto that LTE would cut network costs for Wind and offer its customers faster data services. He said the rollout of LTE across the world over the next few years means his company has little choice but to adopt and invest in the...