TAGGED AS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Municipally-owned B.C. SILEC asks CRTC for relief from NG911 requirements
telecom | 11/05/2021 2:37 pm EDT
A municipally-owned small incumbent local exchange carrier (SILEC) in northwest British Columbia is requesting that the CRTC relieve it of its next-generation 911 (NG911)...
Bell wary of New Brunswick’s proposed NG911 system
telecom | 07/14/2021 6:34 pm EDT
BCE Inc. has filed an intervention with the CRTC saying New Brunswick’s plan for how it would like to adapt its next-generation 911 (NG911) services may not be the best approach. According to Bell’s intervention, the province’s proposal is a “fundamental change” to the NG911 framework set by the CRTC -- though technically feasible -- “which is being introduced at such a late hour that it threatens to undermine the launch date.” “Further, the proposal contemplates a solution that is problematic and has been rejected by the commission because the commission decided that...
Telus and Sogetel getting $38 million for high-speed connectivity projects
telecom | 05/03/2021 5:58 pm EDT
Telus Corp. and Sogetel Inc. are each getting millions to connect 2,850 houses in Quebec to high-speed internet by September 2022 for a total cost of $38 million, Innovation, Science and Economic...
ISED rejects request to delay 3500 MHz auction following MVNO decision
telecom | 04/29/2021 6:31 pm EDT
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne has rejected a call by the...
MVNO decision consistent with traditional facilities-based policy: Bell’s Bibic
telecom | 04/29/2021 5:41 pm EDT
BCE Inc. CEO Mirko Bibic told shareholders...
CRTC directs public disclosure of some Bell call blocking info
telecom | 04/28/2021 6:05 pm EDT
The CRTC directed BCE Inc. to put on the public record responses to a...
CRTC to ‘let market forces operate’ in Bell-Iristel rate dispute
telecom | 03/21/2019 6:01 pm EDT
BCE Inc. doesn’t have to implement a freeze on rates it charges Iristel Inc. while the CRTC decides how to settle a dispute between the two regarding the rates, the regulator said Thursday.
In January, Iristel filed a Part 1 application saying that Bell put in place “massive and unprecedented rate increases” for access to some of its infrastructure. Iristel CEO...
CRTC lifts 100 Mbps wholesale internet speed cap – for now
telecom | 03/21/2019 5:39 pm EDT
The CRTC has quietly informed wholesale-based internet service providers...
TekSavvy to lobby feds on speed caps in disaggregated regime
telecom | 03/15/2019 5:14 pm EDT
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has hired a new consultant lobbyist to raise...
CWTA tells panel review MVNOs would hurt investment, rural access
telecom | 03/11/2019 2:20 pm EDT
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) took aim at mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in its submission to the ongoing review of Canada’s communications legislation....
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...
Freedom opening in Eastern Ontario markets
telecom | 03/08/2019 2:19 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc.’s mobile division is expanding to some Eastern Ontario markets as it continues...
Telus health app to offer video doctor appointments, AI advice
telecom | 03/05/2019 3:01 pm EST
A new app launched by Telus Corp.’s health division will enable users to...
CRTC changes position on MVNOs, proposes mandated access
telecom | 02/28/2019 4:17 pm EST
The CRTC has reversed its long-held position that mobile virtual network...
‘Competition’ definition key to impact of new CRTC directive: experts
telecom | 02/27/2019 6:08 pm EST
The new policy direction for the CRTC announced by the federal government...
Ottawa proposes new consumer-focused policy direction for CRTC
telecom | 02/26/2019 5:51 pm EST
The Liberal government is proposing a significant departure from Ottawa's past policy direction to the CRTC, changing the focus from market forces to affordability and consumer interests.
The policy direction governs how the CRTC makes decisions, and the new order would...
CACTUS asks BTLR for $150M community TV framework
Media | 02/22/2019 12:53 pm EST
A group representing the Canadian community TV sector is asking the panel reviewing the broadcasting and...
Huawei promises jobs, R&D investment in Canada
telecom | 02/21/2019 2:32 pm EST
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. held a rare press conference in Toronto Thursday to promote new...
Telus says it can manage a Huawei 5G ban after warning of costs, delay
telecom | 02/14/2019 10:58 am EST
The head of Telus Corp. says the company would be able to “adeptly”...
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...
Odds of Huawei ban have increased in recent months: analyst
telecom | 02/05/2019 4:26 pm EST
The likelihood Canada will ban Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. equipment from the country’s 5G networks has gone up in recent months, and if that happens, the deployment of those networks will be delayed, National Bank analyst Adam Shine said in a research note.
“Plans...
ISPs can already resell incumbent internet to other providers, cablecos say
telecom | 02/04/2019 2:33 pm EST
Canada’s largest cable companies said they already have existing provisions that allow providers to buy and resell their services to other providers. Late last year, the CRTC asked the cablecos...
Doug Burnett named president and CEO of SaskTel
telecom | 01/29/2019 1:36 pm EST
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s acting president and CEO has been named to the role on...
Innovation, rural development ministers get new parlsecs
telecom | 01/29/2019 12:38 pm EST
Quebec MP Rémi Massé will replace David Lametti as the parliamentary...
US files charges against Huawei in two cases
telecom | 01/28/2019 6:49 pm EST
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a highly-anticipated criminal case against Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. Monday, issuing a spate of charges against the company, two affiliates and its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou,...
Scott Bradley leaves Huawei
telecom | 01/11/2019 5:04 pm EST
Scott Bradley, vice-president of corporate affairs at Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s Canadian division, has left the company.
Bradley had been with Huawei for eight...
44.5% of under-30 households don’t have TV: report
Media | 01/07/2019 5:41 pm EST
A new report using data from Statistics Canada says 44.5 per cent of Canadian households headed by...
ARIN asks Parliament to require ISPs to maintain Whois info
telecom | 01/04/2019 6:21 pm EST
The organization responsible for allocating IP numbers to intermediaries in...
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...
More subscribing to basic service speeds, but availability unchanged
telecom | 12/21/2018 5:41 pm EST
Canadians are increasingly signing up for home internet services that meet the CRTC’s basic service standards of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload, with 36 per cent of...
Higher-speed internet plans more expensive in 2018: report
telecom | 12/21/2018 4:41 pm EST
The prices of higher-speed wireline internet plans increased last year, and...
Huawei 5G decision won’t be made based on politics: Trudeau
telecom | 12/19/2018 5:14 pm EST
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will rely on expert...
Bell must pay $433k in ‘ineligible’ tangible benefits
Media | 12/18/2018 3:20 pm EST
The CRTC has dismissed an appeal by BCE Inc. and ordered it to pay...
Don’t give Corus tangible benefits exemption: CanCon groups
telecom | 12/11/2018 5:09 pm EST
A proposal by Corus Entertainment Inc. to shut down 44 television...
Telecoms argue extending workplace safety to third-party locations ‘absurd’
telecom | 12/10/2018 3:14 pm EST
OTTAWA -- Two of Canada’s largest telecoms and CBC/Radio-Canada told the Supreme Court on Monday that it’s “absurd” and “illogical” for a court to force them to ensure the safety of an environment their employees work in but the companies have no control over.
The case stems from a complaint a Canada Post employee made in 2012 about the need for postal...
Bar Association tells committee notice-and-notice falls short
Media | 12/04/2018 5:36 pm EST
OTTAWA — The Canadian Bar Association told MPs Monday Parliament should introduce a new regime to deal with online piracy in the Copyright Act because the current notice-and-notice regime is...
CRTC closes Novus condo access file
telecom | 11/30/2018 5:07 pm EST
The CRTC has closed a Part 1 file, once suspended, involving two parties embroiled in a condo access issue that emerged when the property owner allegedly didn’t answer a telecom’s calls to connect its services. Novus...
More consumer groups say they won’t participate in CRTC internet code proceeding
telecom | 11/30/2018 3:59 pm EST
The list of consumer groups that say they won’t take part in the CRTC’s...
Small ISPs welcome ISED consults for fifth tier spectrum licensing area
telecom | 11/29/2018 4:48 pm EST
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has launched a...
Rogers beefing up wireless in Manitoba
telecom | 11/29/2018 4:15 pm EST
Rogers Communications Inc. is planting more cell towers in parts of Manitoba as wireless activity in the...
Shaw doubles internet speeds on highest tiers
telecom | 11/29/2018 3:38 pm EST
Existing customers on Shaw Communications Inc.’s top internet packages, and new customers on those...
CRTC requests advice on broadband data, maps
telecom | 11/29/2018 3:09 pm EST
The CRTC is asking telecoms and satellite broadband providers for feedback on broadband maps and data...
VMedia now serving all provinces after Atlantic push
telecom | 11/29/2018 2:37 pm EST
VMedia Inc. recently launched its full suite of services in all four Atlantic Canada provinces, meaning it now operates in all 10 provinces. CEO George Burger confirmed that the company “started rolling out services as...
Bell could see $100M benefit from fed tax plan in 2019: analyst
telecom | 11/29/2018 2:21 pm EST
The federal government’s recently-tabled tax strategy allowing telecoms to deduct taxes at a higher rate more quickly on assets may benefit BCE Inc. to the tune of $100 million in 2019, according to analyst Adam Shine of National Bank.
The Accelerated Investment...
1-in-10 say ISPs should play a role identifying ‘fake news’: survey
Media | 11/28/2018 2:21 pm EST
There’s a lack of consensus over who should help Canadians determine what...
Bell emphasizes original, ‘boots on the ground’ content for ethnic licence
telecom | 11/27/2018 8:35 pm EST
GATINEAU, QUE. -- Seeking to differentiate itself from other applicants,...
CRTC issues interim resolution in Iristel, Telus fight
telecom | 11/23/2018 4:46 pm EST
The CRTC ordered Friday both Telus Corp. and Iristel Inc. to make interim...
Cogeco wants to put fibre cables in Ottawa River
telecom | 11/23/2018 3:05 pm EST
Part of Cogeco Inc.’s plan to deliver gigabit internet service to its footprint is to put two fibre...
Cogeco expands gigabit to Quebec, Wi-Fi service in Ontario
telecom | 11/22/2018 4:56 pm EST
Just as it did in Ontario, Cogeco Inc. is now expanding its gigabit internet plans to target Quebec markets as well, according to a Thursday press release.
The Montreal-based cable company is making available its gigabit internet, via its DOCSIS 3.1 technology, to...
Feds pledge faster fibre cost recovery for telecoms
telecom | 11/21/2018 6:00 pm EST
The federal government’s fall economic update includes a faster way for telecoms to recover a bigger portion of their investment costs in fibre deployment, which it hopes will spur broadband connectivity in rural areas. The...
Marie-Hélène Labrie new Cogeco SVP of communications
telecom | 11/21/2018 2:01 pm EST
Cogeco Inc. has a new senior vice-president of public affairs and communications, the telecom announced Tuesday, following the retirement of René Guimond.
Marie-Hélène Labrie will replace...
Feds put out call for mobile spectrum performance data
telecom | 11/15/2018 6:30 pm EST
The federal government is looking for a contractor to crowdsource measurements of mobile phone spectrum performance in Canada – results that could affect government licensing strategies. A new...
CRTC proposes code of conduct for ISPs
telecom | 11/09/2018 5:33 pm EST
The CRTC is asking for input on a draft version of a new code governing internet service providers (ISPs)...
Raj Shoan sues government, former CRTC chairman over firing
telecom | 11/09/2018 12:32 pm EST
Former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan has filed a lawsuit against the federal...
Helix to be ‘superior’ to Bell’s Fibe: Videotron CEO
telecom | 11/08/2018 5:48 pm EST
As CEO Manon Brouillette wrapped up her last quarterly results with...
Bell hits Videotron with $100M infringement suit
telecom | 11/07/2018 12:35 pm EST
BCE Inc.’s Bell Media is suing Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron for copyright and trademark infringement...
Lack of infrastructure, bylaws challenges for remote connectivity
telecom | 11/05/2018 7:28 pm EST
TORONTO — Remote communities looking to build internet as an essential...
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 rollover unused data from the previous month, the company announced Monday as it prepares to launch its 4G LTE network in the province next week.
The roughly 24,000 existing...
Bell posts subscriber gains, but wireless ARPU dips
telecom | 11/01/2018 5:42 pm EDT
BCE Inc. reported its wireless average revenue per user (ARPU) dipped in its third quarter results...
Electrical utilities ask CRTC to become MVNOs
telecom | 10/31/2018 1:31 pm EDT
An organization representing Canada’s electricity providers has filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC asking for changes to wireless regulations it says are necessary for the roll out of smart electrical grids. The...
Bell, Rogers defend sales practices to CRTC
telecom | 10/26/2018 8:00 pm EDT
GATINEAU –– BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. defended their sales tactics Friday after a week...
Rogers plans to advance Ignite at ‘thoughtful pace’ to replace legacy systems
telecom | 10/19/2018 6:42 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. top brass say they expect to see enough...
Combine Heritage and ISED, move spectrum to CRTC: professor
telecom | 10/18/2018 2:16 pm EDT
The government should combine the Heritage and Innovation ministries, and give responsibility for spectrum to the CRTC, a Senate committee study into the modernization of Canada’s communications legislation heard Wednesday evening.
Gregory Taylor, an assistant professor...
Videotron losing its CEO as Brouillette announces departure
telecom | 10/16/2018 12:42 pm EDT
Manon Brouillette, who has been at the helm of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron for the past five years, is leaving the company in what National Bank...
Iristel buys wireless operator specializing in remote areas
telecom | 10/12/2018 2:06 pm EDT
Iristel Inc. has acquired Télécommunications de l’Est (TDE), a small Quebec telecom that provides service to industries operating in remote areas with limited cellular service, such as forestry...
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...
TeraGo to start GTA 5G fixed wireless trial
telecom | 10/11/2018 3:10 pm EDT
TeraGo Inc. will repurpose spectrum it bought nearly a decade ago for a 5G fixed wireless trial in the Greater Toronto Area, the company said Thursday. It bought the 24 GHz spectrum in 2010, aiming to use it for a backhaul...
Canada joins allies in calling out Russian cyberattacks
telecom | 10/04/2018 5:11 pm EDT
The Canadian government took part in a coordinated international effort...
Bibic named Bell COO
telecom | 10/04/2018 2:35 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s head of regulatory, Mirko Bibic, has been named its new chief operating officer.
Bell said in a press release Thursday that in his new role, Bibic will “lead...
Barclays predicts ‘smooth sailing’ at Telus after VP exit
telecom | 10/02/2018 6:03 pm EDT
The upcoming departure of Telus Corp.’s president of consumer and small...
Small ISPs ‘optimistic’ about CRTC broadband fund
telecom | 09/28/2018 4:58 pm EDT
A CRTC decision outlining how its $750 million fund for rural broadband will be administered “looks quite encouraging,” according to the president of the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC). Matt Stein said in a...
ITPA asks CRTC to reconsider ending voice subsidy
telecom | 09/28/2018 3:34 pm EDT
The Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) has filed a review-and-vary application with the CRTC, asking the regulator to bring back its landline subsidy. When the commission announced its $750 million rural broadband fund back in December 2016 -- the details of which it revealed Thursday -- it outlined that money would largely come from repurposing the existing subsidy for landlines. In June, it issued a decision with details about how that phase-out would be implemented over a three-year period, starting in 2019. In a Part 1 application this week, the ITPA asked...
CRTC rural broadband fund speed targets draw criticism
telecom | 09/27/2018 5:51 pm EDT
The CRTC revealed Thursday the details of the $750 million rural broadband fund that’s been in the works for nearly two years, prompting criticism from some groups concerned about what they say are...
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...
Broadcast, telecom acts review panel kicks off consultation
telecom | 09/25/2018 5:31 pm EDT
OTTAWA — The expert panel in charge of reviewing Canada’s...
Fewer phones than expected emergency alert compatible: official
telecom | 09/24/2018 5:48 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Those in charge of the wireless emergency alert system...
Feds paid $190,000 in late-fees to telecoms: documents
telecom | 09/21/2018 6:31 pm EDT
The federal government spent at least $190,600 on late-payment fees and interest charges to telecom companies since September 2016, according to documents tabled recently in Parliament.
The bulk of the payments went to BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., who made at...
Repurpose spectrum used for plane connectivity for mobile: Rogers
telecom | 09/21/2018 5:41 pm EDT
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) should change...
CSE defends network security as Tories press on Huawei concerns
telecom | 09/20/2018 8:51 pm EDT
OTTAWA -- Officials from Canada’s cyber-spy agency defended the security of Canada’s telecommunications systems and allowing Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd equipment to operate on them, as MPs...
Small ISPs ask for new limits on infringement notices
telecom | 09/20/2018 2:26 pm EDT
The Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC) told a House of Commons committee reviewing the Copyright Act that small internet service providers would like to see “some tweaking” to the notice-and-notice regime.
That...
Senators asked to champion net neutrality in comms laws review
Media | 09/18/2018 6:38 pm EDT
OTTAWA -- Lawmakers need to make net neutrality a major priority and...
Northwestel boosting speeds threefold in October
telecom | 09/17/2018 5:00 pm EDT
BCE Inc.’s Northwestel says it will begin providing internet service at speeds three times as fast as...
Smart home profitability may be elusive for telecoms, Desjardins says
telecom | 09/17/2018 4:34 pm EDT
Global telecoms that have deployed internet of things (IoT) in the home are not seeing the desired profitability from their investments, suggesting those ventures in Canada may suffer a similar fate, according to a review by Desjardins Capital Markets. “While we expect Canadian telcos to be more vocal about the...
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...
Ice Wireless can continue to roam until final decision
telecom | 07/07/2016 4:43 pm EDT
Sugar Mobile, an affiliate of Iristel Inc.-subsidiary Ice Wireless, can continue roaming on Rogers Communications Inc.’s network while the CRTC considers its final decision in a...
Privacy commish warns telecoms about transparency reporting, metadata
telecom | 06/09/2016 12:42 am EDT
TORONTO — Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien told a telecom industry audience Wednesday that companies should be prudent about the collection and use of metadata, and cautioned companies that haven’t yet issued transparency reports that his office could push for legislation to force them to do so. “For those companies that have not yet produced such reports, we hope they will see the benefit of transparency and get on board,” Therrien said in a speech at the Canadian...
Competition Bureau wants input on Bell-MTS deal
telecom | 05/10/2016 4:32 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau is asking for comment on BCE Inc.’s $3.9-billion bid to buy Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., it said in a press release Tuesday. It made a form available on its website that both consumers and...
ISED approves spectrum transfers
telecom | 04/22/2016 7:17 pm EDT
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada has approved the transfer of 83 WCS spectrum licences from Xplornet Communications Inc. to Telus Corp. ISED said in a decision Thursday that though the transfer means...
In ‘unusual’ move, Blais calls for national digital strategy
telecom | 04/18/2016 10:37 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — The ongoing basic services hearing may be the “last, best chance” for the CRTC and the stakeholders appearing before its five-person panel to formulate some...
Rogers revenue up 2% due to wireless, business divisions
telecom | 04/18/2016 10:26 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. reported a two-per-cent increase in revenue in the first quarter, which rose from $3.18 billion to $3.25 billion. The company said in a Monday press release the increase...
RCMP had encryption key for BlackBerry: report
telecom | 04/14/2016 8:19 pm EDT
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has had an encryption key for BlackBerry Inc.’s devices since 2010, Vice News reported Wednesday. The report was based on court documents that show “law enforcement intercepted and decrypted roughly one million PIN-to-PIN BlackBerry messages” in connection with a probe into a Montreal crime syndicate, Vice reported. The article added that neither “the RCMP, nor BlackBerry ever confirmed where the global key actually came from and the documents shed little light on the matter.”...
New satellites to improve Internet access in North, companies say
telecom | 04/13/2016 9:21 pm EDT
As-yet-unlaunched satellites will make more Internet capacity available at a lower cost in rural and remote areas, satellite providers told the CRTC Wednesday, on the third day of its three-week...
Rogers program raises pre-hearing questions about affordability
telecom | 04/07/2016 9:33 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Other major Internet service providers may be compelled to follow in the footsteps of Rogers Communications Inc. and offer cheap Internet packages for low-income earners, according to...
Lawsuit over expiry of prepaid services dismissed on appeal
telecom | 04/05/2016 6:27 pm EDT
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has upheld a previous dismissal of a lawsuit against BCE Inc. over expiry dates on its prepaid wireless services. Launched in 2012, the...
FCC launches broadband labels
telecom | 04/04/2016 8:37 pm EDT
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched a labeling program for broadband services, similar to nutrition labels found on food products. “The consumer broadband labels will provide consumers with more...
Competition Bureau updates IP enforcement guidelines
Media | 04/01/2016 7:32 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has updated its Intellectual Property Enforcement Guidelines, as part of what it said in a Thursday press release would be an annual review. It said the updated guidelines clarify “the Bureau’s...
CRTC to reconsider current wholesale Internet rates
telecom | 03/31/2016 8:40 pm EDT
The CRTC issued Thursday a new approach to how the rates small companies pay large telecoms for wholesale Internet services are set, stating that “current wholesale [high-speed access] service rates are likely not just and...
Sugar Mobile model threatens facilities-based competition: Telus, Quebecor
telecom | 03/18/2016 8:47 pm EDT
Allowing Sugar Mobile to continue roaming on Rogers Communications Inc.’s network would be a “backdoor means” to mandated mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access, and “a...
Telecoms’ TV customer losses up five-fold in 2015
telecom | 03/10/2016 10:22 pm EST
The number of subscribers leaving the Canadian TV system appears to be accelerating, as Canada’s publicly traded telecom companies lost five times more TV subscribers in 2015 than a year earlier. They reported having...
SaskTel says 1,000 customers hit by phishing scam
telecom | 02/26/2016 9:46 pm EST
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said in a release Friday that it was recently the target of a “large phishing attack.” It said it estimates the attack affected about 1,000 customers. The company added that it would “be proactively resetting the password for impacted email accounts.” It said it “continues to urge customers to practice secure password management as there has been an increase in phishing scams, including attempted attacks on sasktel.net accounts.” ...