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TAGGED AS XPLORNET COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Telecom sector seeing revenue increase: CRTC telecom report

telecom | 06/20/2023 5:24 pm EDT

A cell tower with a blue sky in the background.The CRTC has issued its annual telecommunications survey for 2021. Coming out of the pandemic shutdown, the numbers are generally good. The sector experienced a 3.4 per cent jump in total revenues that year, as opposed to the 1.4 per cent decline posted in 2020. That 2020 fall was the largest ever recorded in the Communications Market Reports (CMR). The only other decrease was in 2002 when the dot-com bubble burst.  The chief factor in the 2021 increase was the...

Globalive seeks to become national carrier by buying Manitoba spectrum

telecom | 01/23/2023 2:59 pm EST

Frustrated in its attempt to buy Freedom Mobile back from Shaw Communications Inc., Globalive Capital Corp. has announced it wants to acquire Manitoba spectrum licences from...

ISED rejects transfer of Xplore licence to Telus

telecom | 09/19/2022 7:22 am EDT

A cell tower with a blue sky in the background.The department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)  denied an application by...

Champagne announces network sharing agreement following Rogers outage

telecom | 09/07/2022 4:35 pm EDT

Wednesday Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe...

CRTC puts out request for information on wholesale wireless 

telecom | 08/24/2022 5:30 pm EDT

The CRTC has issued a request for information from the incumbent wireless...

Consults on antenna systems must be done in both official languages, ISED determines

telecom | 08/03/2022 5:34 pm EDT

Canadians will be able to participate in public consultations regarding the installation or modification of antenna systems in the official language of their choice, after the Department of...

Xplornet to shut down Xplore Mobile, blaming CRTC delays in MVNO regime

telecom | 07/16/2022 11:34 am EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc.'s Xplore Mobile will shut down at the end of August, the company announced Friday afternoon.  In a statement, the company blamed regulatory...

CNOC back regional carriers’ call for roaming rates review

telecom | 06/24/2022 5:00 pm EDT

The Competitive Network Operators of Canada has filed an intervention in...

CRTC outlines framework to block botnets from internet traffic

telecom | 06/23/2022 5:48 pm EDT

In a Thursday decision, the CRTC announced it was implementing regulations...

ILECs and CLECs spar over telecom fees amendments

telecom | 06/10/2022 4:33 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc. are among competitors protesting proposed changes to the...

Regional wireless carriers seek review of incumbents’ roaming rates

telecom | 05/24/2022 5:43 pm EDT

A consortium of regional wireless competitors have filed an application...

Canadian LEOs challenge SpaceX’s offering, Gov. subsidy

telecom | 05/16/2022 7:04 pm EDT

Players in the low-earth orbit satellite (LEOs) space are casting doubt...

Xplornet buys internet business of Full Throttle Networks

telecom | 04/04/2022 3:14 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. purchased the high-speed internet business of...

Paper billing for vulnerable customers, not universally: CRTC

telecom | 02/10/2022 5:42 pm EST

The CRTC has determined that all communications service providers (CSPs), including telecommunications service providers (TSPs), Canadian carriers, and broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), must provide certain market segments with free paper billing, in an effort...

Canada avoids American confusion of 5G impact on airports

telecom | 01/05/2022 4:29 pm EST

Early consultations on regulations to 5G rollout affecting air traffic...

Bell, SaskTel, not buying ISED proposal to reintroduce deployment requirements for cellular bands 

telecom | 10/20/2021 12:04 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. are not in favour of a proposal from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) to adopt its 20-year 3500...

Xplornet connects Haldimand County to fibre-to-the-home broadband

telecom | 10/07/2021 5:31 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc.’s newly acquired fibre-based service...

Xplornet announces new CTO

telecom | 10/06/2021 4:01 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. announced Dennis Steiger as its new chief technology officer in a Wednesday press release. Steiger will lead the architecture, planning,...

Xplornet announces rural 5G standalone network

telecom | 09/22/2021 3:12 pm EDT

New Brunswick-based rural broadband provider Xplornet Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it’s...

PIAC disappointed with CRTC SIM swap disclosure

telecom | 07/09/2021 4:59 pm EDT

Six months after it received a request to release the data it collects on a fraud process known as "SIM swapping," the CRTC yesterday sent a letter to parties involved in a proceeding on the matter saying that instances of the...

CRTC rejects Xplornet request to make non-payer disconnection easier under Internet Code

telecom | 05/19/2021 5:21 pm EDT

The CRTC has rejected a request from Xplornet Communications Inc. to repeal certain language from the regulator's Internet Code that raised the barrier for cutting off...

Xplornet expanding fibre network in Haldimand

telecom | 04/23/2021 8:35 pm EDT

Through its newly acquired fibre-based service provider Ocdotus Inc. — which operates as Metro Loop — Xplornet Communications Inc. is expanding its fibre network in Haldimand County, Ontario.  New Brunswick-based Xplornet announced the expansion Friday, saying in a release that it plans to deploy over 600 kilometres of fibre optic cable within the next two years. The expansion will bring fibre-to-the-home broadband service to 19,000 residences and businesses in the area outside of Hamilton with speeds up to one gigabit per second.  "Xplornet is putting a strong focus on deploying...

Quebecor would buy Freedom, but only with spectrum: PKP

telecom | 03/31/2021 6:21 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. has indicated that, should the Competition Bureau force...

Regulatory approval of Rogers-Shaw deal will hinge on wireless: Execs, analysts

Media | 03/15/2021 8:30 am EDT

From the perspective of Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Joe Natale,...

CRTC should release data on fraud calls: PIAC

telecom | 02/09/2021 5:58 pm EST

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has asked the CRTC to publicly disclose the information it...

Former industry minister joins Xplornet board

telecom | 01/04/2021 1:45 pm EST

James Moore, who served as industry minister in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, has joined the board of directors at Xplornet Communications Inc. The company said in a late-December press release the appointment...

ISED proposal to displace spectrum for fixed wireless divides ISPs

telecom | 12/11/2020 11:37 am EST

A pair of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada proposals on changes to midband spectrum allocation that would affect fixed wireless service has drawn a mixed response from telecoms. In a consultation that started in August, ISED put forward numerous questions around the allocation of the 3500 to 4200 MHz bands, some portions of which need to be cleared in order for telecoms to roll out 5G networks.  ISED proposed two options for the 3650 to 3700 MHz band, which is currently...

Xplornet picks Ericsson for 5G

telecom | 12/08/2020 5:22 pm EST

Xplornet Communications Inc. will use technology from Ericsson AB in its next-generation network, the company said Tuesday.  Xplornet will begin rolling out its 5G fixed-wireless network in rural areas this summer, it said in...

CRTC seeks further information on telecoms’ paper billing practices

Media | 12/03/2020 3:15 pm EST

A CRTC consultation on paper billing practices in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors is continuing, with the commission requesting that all major companies respond to a series of...

UBF should focus on both backbone, last mile, ISPs told ISED

telecom | 07/28/2020 2:22 pm EDT

At a discussion about Ottawa’s now-delayed Universal Broadband Fund with...

Telecoms end overage fees suspension

telecom | 07/02/2020 4:52 pm EDT

Major Canadian telecoms have ended one of their major relief measures for Canadians who suddenly shifted...

Xplornet says Stonepeak sale will lead to accelerated broadband investment

telecom | 06/11/2020 2:37 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc.’s sale to U.S. based Stonepeak...

SaskTel to resume charging overage fees on June 9

telecom | 05/29/2020 2:13 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. will become the second Canadian telecom to resume charging overage fees to home internet customers who go over their data caps, with the company announcing it will end the COVID-19...

2025 offered as connectivity target as pressure to fast track rises

telecom | 05/19/2020 2:01 pm EDT

Universal connectivity at the CRTC’s universal service objective speeds...

Wholesale debate moves to transport in CRTC rural broadband consult

telecom | 05/15/2020 2:33 pm EDT

The familiar argument over wholesale access has made its way to a CRTC consultation on how to remove barriers to rural broadband rollouts, with smaller providers arguing the regulator should mandate...

Spectrum funds could achieve broadband targets before 2030: telecoms

telecom | 05/14/2020 9:35 pm EDT

An NDP plan for the federal government to add money raised from past and upcoming spectrum auctions to existing broadband funding could achieve universal connectivity well...

Provinces also looking at speeding up rural broadband rollouts

telecom | 05/01/2020 1:10 pm EDT

As the federal government and individual companies work on accelerating...

Cogeco to bring back overage fees as of May 1

telecom | 04/30/2020 2:10 pm EDT

Cogeco  Inc. will again start charging overage fees to its home internet customers who exceed their data limits as of Friday, with the company instead focusing on other measures it considers to “be more essential” to its...

Federal government to accelerate rural broadband funds: Monsef

telecom | 04/29/2020 3:49 pm EDT

The federal government will speed up its rural broadband funding in...

Telecoms close stores, offer free channels in response to COVID-19

Media | 03/16/2020 5:56 pm EDT

Telecommunication providers are closing retail stores, offering complimentary TV channels and continuing to waive overage fees on home internet plans as they respond to COVID-19. Xplornet...

Xplornet confirms sale to U.S infrastructure firm

telecom | 02/27/2020 2:20 pm EST

Xplornet Communications Inc. has confirmed it has signed an agreement for it to be purchased by U.S. based Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners.  In a statement, Xplornet said Stonepeak would acquire a controlling stake in the business when the deal, which is still subject to regulatory approval, goes through. Xplornet board chair Steve Weed and his fund WaveDivision Capital will remain “material investors” in the business, the statement says.  Xplornet president and CEO Allison Lenehan said he was excited Stonepeak had agreed to acquire the company, and said it remained committed to...

Xplornet to be sold to U.S. company for $2B: report

telecom | 02/25/2020 6:41 pm EST

Xplornet Communications Inc. will be bought for some $2 billion USD by a U.S.-based investment firm, according to a report from Bloomberg News.  Asked if the government was aware of the reports of the transaction, a...

MVNO decision arrives at a ‘tipping point’: Bell CEO

telecom | 02/19/2020 6:48 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — How threatening the prospect of mandated MVNO access is...

Broad MVNO access too risky, Competition Bureau tells CRTC

telecom | 02/18/2020 5:54 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — The CRTC’s two-week wireless policy review kicked off...

Telecoms find silver lining in unprecedented number of CCTS complaints

telecom | 11/28/2019 6:00 am EST

Despite improvements in customer service that have lowered customer...

Internet code will make it too hard to cut off non-payers: Xplornet 

telecom | 11/12/2019 11:36 am EST

The forthcoming Internet code from the CRTC would make it far too hard for Xplornet Communications Inc. to disconnect customers that haven’t paid, the company argues in a filing to the regulator...

Telecoms must hand over more detailed info to Comp Bureau

telecom | 08/06/2019 7:23 pm EDT

The CRTC has directed telecom companies to disclose an additional set of...

Telecoms say speed throttling doesn’t violate net neutrality

telecom | 08/06/2019 2:37 pm EDT

The big three telecoms are telling the CRTC that their practice of slowing...

Internet code will indirectly tackle poor sales practices, CRTC chairman says

telecom | 07/31/2019 11:01 am EDT

CRTC chairman Ian Scott said the new internet code will address many of the...

CTI project funding rolling out again

telecom | 07/26/2019 5:35 pm EDT

The last two months have seen a glut of project funding announced under the Connect to Innovate (CTI) program, with $29 million being funneled to 13 projects: three in New Brunswick; two each in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and British Columbia; and one each in Alberta and Nova Scotia.   According to the ministry of Rural Economic Development, which was created in January and took over responsibility for the CTI fund which predates it, the cluster of announcements in the past several weeks is little more than a coincidence. Projects are approved after an appropriate period of due...

CRTC asks wireless providers to justify post-data cap throttling

telecom | 07/04/2019 4:52 pm EDT

The CRTC has asked several telecoms to explain how their throttling of wireless speeds once customers exceed their data allotments doesn’t violate the commission’s regulatory policy on internet...

Industry committee dissents from ISED spectrum clawback plans

telecom | 06/18/2019 8:09 pm EDT

The House of Commons industry committee has endorsed Xplornet Communications Inc.'s call that the ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) should not claw back any of the 3.5...

Effect of 3.5 GHz clawback on rural broadband to vary across Canada

telecom | 06/14/2019 5:03 pm EDT

In recent weeks, telecom issues haven’t escaped the increased rhetoric...

Clawback of 3.5 GHz strikes ‘reasonable’ balance, analyst says

telecom | 06/06/2019 6:43 pm EDT

The decision by Innovation Canada to carve-out mobile use licences from the...

3.5 GHz auction will mean a level playing field for 5G: ISED

Media | 06/05/2019 7:56 pm EDT

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Innovation Canada will give existing holders of 3.5 GHz spectrum an opportunity to apply for flexible use of the spectrum based on their proportional holdings of the frequencies, it said in a new document outlining how the band, said to be crucial for...

CRTC accepts Comp Bureau’s narrowed request for wireless data

telecom | 05/24/2019 5:49 pm EDT

After the CRTC in April denied the Competition Bureau’s request for more specific telecom data for its wireless review, the commission Friday changed course and said it will go ahead and ask...

Shaw says patience, not regulation, required to see organic MVNO market

telecom | 05/17/2019 4:55 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom, the country’s major fourth wireless player, says it is most susceptible to harm if the CRTC decides to mandate MVNO access to incumbent facilities, and that...

$10 fees on customer service tasks don’t violate Wireless Code: Bell, Telus

telecom | 05/03/2019 5:27 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., and Shaw Communications Inc. have responded to the CRTC’s questions about $10 fees they charge for some customer service tasks. Telecom...

Bell opts out of 600 MHz, Rogers nabs 52 licenses for $1.7B

telecom | 04/10/2019 5:30 pm EDT

BCE Inc. was among three prospective applicants who didn’t grab licenses for the coveted 600 MHz spectrum, widely considered to be the last chance to get valuable low-band frequencies. The...

Xplornet launching new unlimited data plans

telecom | 04/02/2019 5:41 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. is now offering unlimited internet service plans across the country for...

Stick to hexagons for broadband fund, PIAC and telecoms tell CRTC

telecom | 02/13/2019 3:07 pm EST

An application to relax eligibility requirements for the CRTC’s...

CRTC sets 5 ms threshold for ‘jitter’ in basic service standard

telecom | 02/12/2019 5:41 pm EST

The CRTC has finally set a threshold for a metric it said will improve the quality of service (QoS) for applications reliant on the rapid transmission of data. The regulator said Tuesday that it...

‘Many’ ISPs could shut down due to wholesale regime: CNOC

telecom | 01/17/2019 4:34 pm EST

Small, wholesale-based internet service providers could be forced out of...

Top telecom and media stories to watch for in 2019

Media | 12/21/2018 5:46 pm EST

As the new year begins, the months ahead promise a new spectrum auction, new CRTC announcements on high-profile files like telecom sales practices, and even potentially a new federal government — to be determined in an election in which the danger of hacking and social...

MPs onside with alcohol ad standards

telecom | 12/13/2018 11:57 am EST

An industry group has created a code of conduct governing the content and application of beer...

Lower CRTC latency standards, say large telecoms, northern gov’ts

telecom | 12/12/2018 2:27 pm EST

An application by BCE Inc.’s Northwestel arguing the CRTC’s basic...

Cogeco won’t be among bidders for 600 MHz spectrum

telecom | 12/06/2018 6:29 pm EST

Cogeco Inc. isn’t among the list of participants in the 600 MHz auction, released by Innovation Canada...

ISED said it will do its ‘darndest’ for rural in face of 3.5 GHz clawback

telecom | 11/20/2018 2:49 pm EST

OTTAWA — Innovation Canada deputy minister John Knubley said his...

Lack of scale, device lineup challenges for Xplore Mobile

telecom | 11/16/2018 6:34 pm EST

New Brunswick-based internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. started selling mobile subscriptions in Manitoba this week, with many watching how the small telecom operator will fare competing against larger players. Xplornet started with an existing base of just over...

Indigenous ISP lobbies to get piece of allocated fed funds

telecom | 11/14/2018 6:19 pm EST

An indigenous telecom vying for federal support to provide Northern Manitoba communities with fibre internet is trying to claim a share of Innovation Canada money announced in January, following a...

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...

TekSavvy tells CRTC about incumbents trying to ‘poach’ customers

telecom | 10/24/2018 6:17 pm EDT

GATINEAU — TekSavvy Solutions Inc. told the CRTC Wednesday that a sales...

CRTC reviewing ISPs’ differential pricing practices

telecom | 10/03/2018 1:39 pm EDT

The CRTC is reviewing Canadian ISPs’ traffic management and differential pricing practices for compliance with its net neutrality framework, according to a letter sent out by the commission requesting specific information from...

Cultural sector reaches out to Rodriguez

Media | 09/19/2018 6:12 pm EDT

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has met with creative groups in his first registered lobby...

Broadcasters’ association, Corus, add new lobby registrations

Media | 08/24/2018 11:33 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters registered to lobby the federal government on its review of the Copyright Act in July, which was otherwise a sleepy month in telecom and media government...

Xplornet announces more ‘5G ready’ network expansion

telecom | 08/07/2018 5:26 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. plans to introduce “5G-ready Internet...

Xplornet to brand wireless service Xplore Mobile

telecom | 08/01/2018 11:13 am EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. will call its wireless service Xplore Mobile when it launches this fall, it...

Xplornet plans 100 Mbps, “5G-ready” fixed wireless network

telecom | 07/25/2018 3:02 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. plans to build up fibre facilities in Eastern Ontario to power a new fixed wireless network capable of delivering 100 Mbps speeds, it said in a press release on Wednesday. With a goal to connect 35,000 homes in the counties of Northumberland,...

Xplornet lobby blitz fights 3.5 GHz clawback proposal

telecom | 07/23/2018 10:16 am EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. will not be able to service thousands of its rural customers with...

CRTC to hold sales practices hearing in October

telecom | 07/16/2018 1:57 pm EDT

The CRTC will question telecoms about their sales practices at an October hearing in Gatineau, Que., the regulator said Monday as it launched a consultation. The proceeding is in response to an order by the federal government...

Bell MTS increasing wireless rates, axing unlimited data for new customers

telecom | 07/12/2018 5:08 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Bell MTS in Manitoba is dropping its province-wide wireless unlimited data plan option and increasing prices for upgrading or new customers, it announced Tuesday. New customers will...

Cogeco hires lobbyist with wireless spectrum expertise

telecom | 07/03/2018 11:54 am EDT

Amir Bigloo, who has a history of successful spectrum purchases as CEO of...

Balsillie-led Centre for Digital Rights registers to lobby

Media | 05/25/2018 12:33 pm EDT

A new organization called the Centre for Digital Rights (CDR) that is looking to create a national data strategy has registered to lobby the government after its co-founder Jim Balsillie told a House of Commons ethics committee this month that internet giants are engaging in...

Cogeco picks up 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz spectrum

telecom | 05/22/2018 6:18 pm EDT

Innovation Canada (ISED) released the results of its 2018 residual spectrum auction Friday, with Cogeco Inc. ending up as the big spender. The Montreal-based telecom picked up seven paired and 16 unpaired licenses in the 2300...

Rogers, Bell add junk food bill concerns to lobby efforts

Media | 04/25/2018 2:54 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. have registered to lobby the...

It’s not ‘notice-and-Norwich,’ SCC to hear in disclosure costs case

Media | 04/20/2018 11:33 am EDT

The notice-and-notice regime requires internet service providers (ISPs) to...

Manitoba town launches no-fee internet service

telecom | 04/09/2018 5:36 pm EDT

Last week, the city of Morden, Manitoba announced a May start date for a utility-like fixed wireless internet service that will be provided to residents at no monthly cost, according to its website. Called Morenet, the service...

Internet Society establishes lobby footing in Canada

Media | 03/27/2018 6:32 pm EDT

A decades-old organization that is pushing for a multilateral approach to decision-making on the future...

New promise for fixed wireless, as telecoms incorporate LTE, 5G

telecom | 03/15/2018 2:12 pm EDT

Advances in fixed wireless technology could make it a more viable option...

Telecoms point to growing WiFi, IoT spectrum demand in ISED consultation

telecom | 02/26/2018 7:46 pm EST

Canada’s telecoms are taking sides on how Innovation Canada should approach the release of more licence-exempt spectrum, including whether more should be allocated for WiFi use, as it prepares for...

SWIFT takes fibre goals to the Hill

Media | 02/21/2018 5:57 pm EST

Over six years after it was established, a government-funded non-profit initiative seeking to deliver...

ISED expands AWS-1 coverage requirements, licence terms

telecom | 02/16/2018 4:49 pm EST

Innovation Canada is extending both licence terms and coverage requirements following a consultation on AWS-1 spectrum renewals, it said in a decision Friday. In 2008, ISED — then Industry Canada — auctioned off AWS-1 and other spectrum for a term of 10 years using Tier 2 and Tier 3 licence areas. Following a consultation in June, which saw Canada’s largest wireless providers request a longer term period, ISED said Friday it will expand the term for AWS-1 and G Block to 20 years — I Block for 10 years — and require those providers to cover additional areas serving 172...