TAGGED AS IAIN GRANT
Bell introducing ‘advanced’ text messaging
telecom | 08/30/2017 3:37 pm EDT
BCE Inc. is launching an integrated advanced messaging function that allows subscribers to use features available on third party messaging apps.
“As the first integrated [rich communications services] product available in Canada, Bell Advanced Messaging takes the...
Spectrum buy to improve Shaw network, but benefits will take time: analysts
telecom | 06/13/2017 5:40 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that it has purchased 700MHz and 2500MHz spectrum from Quebecor Inc. for $430 million, in what Shaw described as “a significant milestone towards improving network coverage and quality across Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.” The deal gives the company’s Freedom Mobile access to the low-band spectrum it has lacked until now. Iain Grant, an analyst at the Seaboard Group, said in an email that the deal will make Shaw’s challenge...
Analysts optimistic about Natale at Rogers after Laurence’s surprise exit
Media | 10/17/2016 9:37 pm EDT
In an unexpected move, Rogers Communications Inc. has announced Guy Laurence is no longer CEO of the company and will be replaced by former Telus Corp. CEO Joe Natale, a choice...
Demand for faster upload speeds growing: analysts
Media | 09/14/2016 9:20 pm EDT
The need for upload speed is growing among Canadian consumers and businesses, though it’s too early to tell whether there’s real demand for symmetrical Internet plans that some companies have begun offering, according...
‘Aggressive’ handset subsidies helped boost wireless subscriptions: analysts
telecom | 08/12/2016 6:11 pm EDT
The significant number of new postpaid wireless customers reported by service providers in the second quarter of 2016 can partly be explained by the aggressive push toward handset subsidies as new phones enter the market and drive demand, according to analysts. Wireless providers reported...
In business, landlines are going mobile
telecom | 08/02/2016 8:20 pm EDT
Over the course of the past year, several Canadian telecoms have introduced systems that allow small businesses to use their mobile phones with landline functionality, a move that highlights a shift away from landline services in...
Experts say approval of Bell’s MTS acquisition likely
telecom | 05/02/2016 2:12 pm EDT
BCE Inc. announced Monday morning that it will purchase Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. in a $3.9 billion transaction that, if approved, will see the number of players in Manitoba’s telecom market fall from four to three. Some experts said the deal is likely to be approved, especially given a pre-emptive move to shift some subscribers to Telus Corp. The deal is subject to approval from shareholders, the CRTC, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada and the Competition Bureau. Bell CEO George Cope said in a Monday conference call with analysts that he expects the regulatory...
Growth in telecom to lag behind economy: Conference Board
Media | 02/03/2016 10:48 pm EST
According to the Conference Board of Canada, high debt levels and weak job prospects will make it difficult for Canadians to increase spending on telecom services in 2016, limiting industry growth. A...
Are stars aligning for Shaw sale to Rogers?
Media | 11/02/2015 9:35 pm EST
The idea of a merger between Canada's two biggest cable providers — Shaw Communications Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. — is on the radar again, with at least two market analysts saying the conditions are right...
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...
MTS launches single Internet service for home and on the go
telecom | 06/23/2015 9:02 pm EDT
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. launched a new plan Tuesday that integrates home Internet and wireless data service in one package, which analysts agreed is an indication of the ongoing trend toward...
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...
Telecoms will adjust to pick-and-pay regime, analysts say
Media | 03/20/2015 9:10 pm EDT
Financial analysts reacting to the CRTC’s new pick-and-pay rules say they don’t expect the decision to have a major impact on the industry, though the broadcasting side of the business is...
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...
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....
Rogers-Shaw merger seen as making ‘complete sense’
Media | 10/09/2014 8:07 pm EDT
A merger between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. has been the subject of speculation for years. As the various industries these companies participate in — broadcasting, TV distribution, landline phone services, Internet and, in Rogers' case, mobile — change rapidly, at least one industry watcher sees such a combination as inevitable, while others can at least see the business logic behind such an arrangement. Scotia Capital telecom analyst Jeff Fan said it's just a matter of time before the two telecom/media giants become one company, adding that the case for a merger becomes stronger as time goes on. "As the industry requires more scale, I think the industrial rationale for the merger becomes greater," Fan said. Fan cited the media...
Mobilicity backers’ lawsuit describes government courting of new entrants
telecom | 09/05/2014 8:14 pm EDT
New details about the government’s push for new-entrant carriers in the 2008 AWS auction were revealed in a lawsuit filed this week against Industry Canada by two of the original investors in...
Small ISPs positive, Xplornet critical of new 3500 MHz policy
telecom | 08/19/2014 9:34 pm EDT
The government’s proposed changes to the licensing of 3500 MHz spectrum are receiving praise from small wireless Internet service providers (ISPs), while satellite Internet provider Xplornet...
Lower prices for AWS-3 auction ‘attractive’ for new entrants: analyst
telecom | 07/28/2014 9:37 pm EDT
The minimum opening bids for the entirety of the available spectrum in the upcoming AWS-3 auction total $162.45 million, with a $97.45 million minimum for the blocks set aside for smaller carriers, Industry Canada said Monday as it launched a consultation on its proposed auction framework. In a Monday research...
Savings, simplification cited in BCE takeover of Bell Aliant
telecom | 07/23/2014 8:38 pm EDT
Saving money, simplifying operations and creating a stronger telecom competitor in Atlantic Canada were among the reasons cited for why BCE Inc. is seeking ownership of all parts of Bell Aliant Inc....
WiFi could help wireless industry, consultant says
telecom | 05/30/2014 5:29 pm EDT
WiFi is not necessarily a friend of mobile carriers, though it could be, according to a Denmark-based industry consultant who’s hosting an international summit on WiFi in mid-June. Wireless service providers are increasingly looking at data transmission as a source of revenue, as evidenced by Rogers Communications Inc.’s first-quarter financial report this year, which showed for the first time that more money came from data than voice in its wireless operations. All three Canadian wireless incumbents — Rogers, Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. — reported double-digit,...
Capping wholesale roaming rates at retail level not enough: study
telecom | 05/12/2014 8:59 pm EDT
While the federal government’s current plan for limiting wholesale roaming rates charged within the wireless industry is a “step in the right direction,” a new study from the...
Federal government’s approach to wireless has failed: study
telecom | 05/06/2014 9:12 pm EDT
The federal government’s meddling in the wireless market over the past seven years and its focus on bringing a fourth carrier into every region has failed to bring about meaningful competition,...
NextWave spectrum could revert to government after blocked sale
telecom | 02/27/2014 9:55 pm EST
Industry Minister James Moore blocked a spectrum-transfer request on Thursday between NextWave Wireless Inc. and a joint venture between two of Canada’s incumbent carriers, a decision that could...